Shadow's Decision 2: New Horizons
by Jordany5b
Summary: The sequel to Shadow's Decision is here! Pre-warning, unless the first story has been read, then this one probably won't make sense. Shadouge, rated T for Minor Language, Graphic Content and Suggestive Themes. I'll update when I can, Favourites, follows, and reviews are greatly appreciated! Updates will be on Mondays until I eventually catch up to the chapter I'm still working on.
1. Chapter 1 - The Re-introduction

New Horizons - Chapter 1 - A warm welcome back.

~ Disclaimer ~ I do not claim ownership of any of the characters or locations that are patented with Sega, only those that are of my own creation.

(A/N - This story is the sequel to Shadow's Decision, set three years in the future from SD- Chapter 50, and two years after SD - Chapter 51. It is recommended to read the previous instalment before continuing, otherwise this instalment most likely will not make sense, there will be spoilers, and most references may not be understood.)

Link to first instalment; /s/10008617/1/Shadow-s-Decision

Insert the FF website before the link ^ Or just visit my profile =)

Other than that, hope you enjoy the sequel, however it won't be uploaded as frequently as the first instalment due to things going on right now such as exams etc.

.

.

Two years later...

.

.

Shadow stood at the foot of his friend's grave, it was now the third anniversary of her death, and he had returned again to pay his annual respects. Shadow had brought the usual rose, which he placed on top of the patch of grass that had grown above the previously disturbed soil.

Sh- "It's been a long time since I've last spoken to you Katie... A lot has happened since last year."

Shadow crouched down, speaking quietly to Katie, who could be identified by the headstone, which was still in the same condition as when Shadow had placed it there. Nobody but him visited this place, the endless fields outside of the city where nature had taken charge.

Sh- "The kids have grown up really quickly, hell, they're adorable to say the least. I bet you never thought you would hear me say that would you?"

Shadow smiled, he had taught himself to control his emotions in these situations. After what happened three years ago, he didn't want to show weakness like that again.

Sh- "Axel reminds me of you every time I look at him... He looks exactly like you, and he has the same personality as you too, he's a little troublemaker."

He took a look around, it looked exactly how it did back then, it was peaceful, and he wished he had chosen somewhere else to put Katie to rest, but he would never tell himself that, it would be too selfish of him.

Sh- "Jade is no trouble at all... She's a momma's girl... And then there's Rouge, she tries not to talk about you too much around me. I understand why, I've only just recently been able to get to sleep within an hour of going to bed..."

He stood up; this visit had to be cut shorter than usual, as he had some things to take care of back at home.

Sh- "I'm gonna head off now, and I will stick to my word, always. My only hope is that you are watching down on us, and that you know that I'm remembering you all of the time..."

Shadow left as quickly as he had arrived, inducing a Chaos Control that took him just outside of his house. As he walked up the path slowly he saw the curtains move slightly, obviously someone was waiting for him. He opened the front door, and closed it after he entered, feeling a warm atmosphere within his home. The atmosphere was soon to change, as Shadow heard two recurring thuds getting louder as time progressed. A little white blur came running around the corner, stopping just in front of Shadow.

Ax- "Daddy! You're back!"

Shadow bent down and picked up the little white hedgehog, giving him a soft hug before putting him back down.

Sh- "I sure am Ax, did you miss me?"

Ax- "Yeah! Where did you go?"

Someone else had followed Axel from the living room, a much taller figure.

Sh- "Daddy went to visit an old friend, I promised them that I would see them every year."

Shadow looked up, noticing Rouge leaning against the wall, admiring Shadow's bond with his son. He walked up to her and gave her a much stronger hug, without any words, as they both knew where he had just been, and didn't want to talk about it.

Ax- "Mummy told us that you once saved the Earth from outer space!"

Sh- "Did she now? Well she should stop telling you lies, because I actually did it twice!"

Ax- "Wow! You're a liar mummy!"

R- "That's enough Axel, go and play with your sister..."

Axel's ears dropped and he returned to the living room, not wanting to do what his mother told him to.

Sh- "Come on Rouge, he's only messing with you..."

R- "I didn't say that because of him, I just wanted a word in private with you."

Sh- "And what would that be about then?"

R- "Well... I've already tried asking everyone else so don't kick off at me... Blaze has had to cancel babysitting tonight due to matters at HQ."

Sh- "So we haven't got anyone to look after the kids?"

R- "Afraid not..."

Sh- "Well what about Silver?"

R- "Same thing, they're both needed."

Shadow put an arm around Rouge and walked with her back to the living room, where Axel and Jade were sitting on the rug near the table.

Sh- "Hey Jade, have you been playing nice with your brother?"

J- "Axel won't admit he loses when I win! He's being mean!"

The twins were playing a simple game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, and Axel was changing his selection every time he lost.

Ax- "No I'm not! You just haven't won yet!"

J- "Yes I have!"

Rouge rolled her eyes, while Shadow just smiled at them, drawn in by their cute charms.

R- "Kids... Please don't fight..."

J- "He started it..."

Shadow turned to Rouge, who was holding her head in her hands. Looking after the twins for so long by herself was too much trouble.

Sh- "What about Vanilla? Or Amy?"

R- "Vanilla is on holiday with Cream, and Amy was supposed to be coming out with us, or did you forget that?"

Sh- "Sort of..."

The twins meanwhile had started play fighting, rolling around trying to get the other to submit. Axel was pinned by Jade, but used a Chaos Control to reappear behind her, which made Jade very annoyed. She kicked him in the face when he got close enough, causing him to start crying.

R- "Oh, Jade..."

Shadow went over to Axel and picked him up, rubbing his cheek to try and help soothe the pain.

Sh- "Jade, don't hurt your brother... Even if you were just playing, fighting is not allowed in this house, okay?"

J- "Yes dad..."

Axel had calmed down a little, and looked at his father with large red irises beaming.

Sh- "And Axel, what did I tell you about using Chaos Control when I'm not teaching you?"

Ax- "I know but look! I'm getting good at it!"

Axel again used Chaos Control, teleporting on top of a bookcase which scared Rouge a little bit.

Sh- "Axel! Get down from there!"

Ax- "Ha-ha! You can't get me!"

Jade started to roll around and laugh. Her brother's antics always wound her parents up.

R- "Shadow, he could hurt himself!"

Sh- "Axel, I said get down from there. Do not make me repeat myself again!"

Ax- "Only if you let me see Uncle Sonic!"

Sh- "Well you won't be seeing Blaze tonight so you'll be coming with us for a meal with Sonic and Amy."

J- "Am I allowed to come?"

Sh- "You have to Jade, we can't leave you two here can we?"

Shadow turned his head to Axel, and narrowed his eyes.

Sh- "As much as I really want to..." He muttered to himself.

Axel obeyed his father's order and came back down from the bookcase, reappearing and sitting at Shadow's feet as he did. Shadow bent over, and flicked one of Axel's ears, which he didn't like at all.

Ax- "Ouch! What was that for?!"

Sh- "That was for not listening to me the first time."

Shadow bent over again and flicked his other ear.

Ax- "Ow!"

Sh- "That was for being stupid and worrying me and your mother."

Shadow got down on to his knees, and started tickling Axel, which made him laugh hysterically.

Sh- "And this... Is for being so good at Chaos Control already!"

R- "Shadow... Don't encourage him..."

Axel sat up, stretching and yawning simultaneously, as Shadow had already worn him out. The original plan was to have the kids looked after while the four of them went out for a meal together, but now that four would have to become six.

R- "Don't worry Shadz, I'm sure they won't mind if the kids join us..."

Sh- "That's not it... It's just the fact that I wanted to have a nice meal out with you... Without any hindrances..."

R- "I'm sure they'll behave, won't you kids?"

J- "I will!"

Ax- "Whatever mummy..."

R- "Axel! Stop being so rude!"

Axel stuck his tongue out at Rouge, who walked up to him and gave him another clip across the ear, much harder than what Shadow had done earlier.

Sh- "Have you told Sonic or Amy yet?"

R- "Not yet, I just wanted to make sure there were no other options first."

Sh- "I'll tell them, chances are Amy is picking Sonic up anyway so I should be able to kill two birds with one stone."

J- "Daddy! Don't kill the birdies!"

Sh- "It's a phrase dear; I'm not going to hurt the birdies..."

Shadow left the living room and headed straight for the kitchen, where his phone was set upon the table. He had upgraded his phone recently, the other one being a victim of Shadow's stress which was caused by the kids. He called up Sonic, who answered the phone, greeting him with a roar of a loud car engine.

Sh- "Really..?"

So- "Sorry, Ames, slow it down a bit would you?"

Shadow just rested his face in his palm; Sonic had still maintained his idiocy over the past three years.

So- "Who is this?"

Sh- "It's me moron, there's a change of plans."

So- "Well we're on our way to yours now so don't you dare tell us it's off."

Sh- "The meal is not cancelled, but Blaze has, so the kids are gonna have to come along with us."

So- "Well that's fine isn't it? I'm sure Amy won't mind."

Sh- "Well I'm gonna have to take my car too, there's not enough room in Amy's alone, unless we throw you in the back."

There was a moment of silence, and Shadow thought Sonic might have dropped his phone out of the car window; it was more than likely something would happen along those lines.

So- "Yeah, Amy is happy that the twins are coming, how are they?"

Sh- "Hell, that's pretty much it."

So- "What, even Jade?"

Sh- "She's just kicked Axel in the face, so yeah, I lied, everything is great."

So- "We'll be there in about ten minutes, so try and survive until then okay?"

Sh- "Yeah... See you soon."

Shadow put down his phone, and returned to the living room, where Rouge was giving Axel a hug. Jade was jealous and was hovering around the room, trying to catch her mother's attention.

Sh- "Jade, no flying in the house..."

Jade slowly descended to the ground, and crossed her arms and legs in a strop.

Sh- "I've already told you that you shouldn't be flying yet, you're too young."

J- "Well Axel can do what he likes! You love him more than me."

R- "She's got a point Shadz, the first part I mean."

Sh- "Jade... You know that's not true, we love you both equally, and Axel isn't allowed to do as he wishes, he just likes to disobey simple commands."

J- "So how come he's old enough to Chaos Control, and I'm not allowed to fly? You do love him more than me."

R- "Another good first point again Shadz..."

Sh- "Axel... Needs to learn to control his Chaos energy. If I didn't teach him how, he would be doing it accidentally and not know how to stop it."

Jade folded her wings back into their resting position, looking over at Axel, who was enjoying the cuddle from his mother.

J- "You never give me hugs..."

Sh- "You never ask for them, Axel is just soft."

Shadow walked over to Jade, whose face brightened up as Shadow got closer. He held his arms open, and then looked down at her.

Sh- "Well come on then..."

Jade giggled and jumped up, as Shadow caught her with ease, impressed that she could jump so high without flight.

Sh- "See?"

J- "Where are we going daddy? And when?"

R- "We're going to a nice restaurant sweetie, and whenever your aunt and uncle arrive."

Shadow turned to Rouge, annoyed that the twins actually believed they were genetic relatives.

Sh- "Please, don't call them that... And they'll be here in five minutes, so go and put your shoes on kids, you want to look presentable."

Jade wriggled out of Shadow's grasp, while Axel jumped away from Rouge, racing each other to the front door to get their shoes.

R- "Remind you of anyone?"

Sh- "I'm guessing you're referring to me and the Faker..."

R- "It's uncanny isn't it?"

Sh- "I guess, but we always had spoils, they do it for love..."

R- "Well make some spoils for them."

Shadow arched an eyebrow, intrigued by Rouge's impulse to get the twins to compete. Shadow had already come up with an idea. He had to raise his voice a little to ensure that they both heard.

Sh- "First one back with their laces tied correctly gets to ride along with me to the restaurant!"

Shadow and Rouge heard two faint gasps from the hallway, which made them both smile. The twins were now laughing, excited at the opportunity to get in Shadow's sports car, which they had never been in, as Rouge would usually ask to borrow Amy's car to transport them as neither her car nor Shadow's had four seats.

R- "I hope you let the loser ride with you on the way home..."

Sh- "Of course I will, only if they behave."

Two pairs of racing footsteps were heard, both running back to the living room, and barged in to meet their parents.

J- "I win!"

Ax- "No, I did!"

R- "Sorry Jade sweetie, but Axel did get here first..."

Sh- "That may be the case, but he didn't listen to what I said..."

Shadow pointed out Axel's shoes, which had one lace tied appropriately, and the other stuffed inside of his shoe. Jade's laces were elegantly tied, her mother's teachings had clearly paid off.

Sh- "I thought you said you knew how to tie them now. Do I have to show you how to do them properly again?"

Shadow took a knee and untied Axel's lace, and shown him how to do it correctly, and let him do the other one exactly how Shadow himself did it.

Sh- "Well done."

Shadow was about to stand back up, but he then noticed Jade with her hands behind her back, twirling back and forth slightly to show that she was presentable to their satisfaction.

Sh- "And well done to you too Jade, maybe Sonic needs to teach Axel a few more things on his running speed doesn't he?"

Shadow ruffled the fur between Jade's ears, which she had to flatten back down before she got embarrassed.

J- "Yeah!"

A familiar knock at the door echoed through the hallway, both Axel and Jade's ears pricked up, and they both smiled, with an idea of who it was.

Ax & J- "Is it them?! Is it?!"

Shadow peered out of the curtain, noticing Amy's car parked out front.

Sh- "Nope, just a salesman, I'll deal with it..."

Ax- "Aww..."

Shadow walked out of the room, giving a smirk to Rouge as he left. He opened the door slowly, and carried on his ruse, loud enough for the twins to hear.

Sh- "I'm not interested, and unless you want to get hurt, I suggest you leave my property."

Shadow put his finger to his lips and beckoned them in. Amy had caught on, but Sonic was still confused with his greeting. Shadow returned to the living room after he closed the door, and the kids looked disappointed.

Sh- "What's the matter?"

J- "We thought it was auntie and uncle..."

Shadow sat down beside Rouge, and then Sonic and Amy walked into the room, getting a loud and energetic reaction from the kids.

Ax- "Daddy you lied!"

Sh- "I have no idea what you're talking about Ax..."

The twins ran up to the new arrivals, stopping them from moving any further in to the room.

So- "Hey squirts, looking for us?"

A- "Sonic... How are you two doing?"

J- "Great! I just beat Axel in a race! Uncle Sonic, you aren't a very good teacher!"

Ax- "No, I won the race! You cheated!"

Sh- "Why do they have to call him that..."

Sonic picked Axel up and moved further in to the room.

So- "Aww, is Shadz jealous?"

Sh- "Put my son down right now..."

R- "Oh shut up Shadow... He can do as he pleases."

So- "Why thank you Rouge, say, did you have a nice day yesterday then?"

R- "I did, thank you for the gifts."

Ax- "Last night we heard mummy shouting at daddy through the wall, they were arguing about something. It sounded like something broke too."

Rouge started to blush and Shadow just looked away, not getting involved with this conversation for a change.

R- "Okay Ax, that's enough, and we weren't arguing about anything so don't worry..."

So- "Erm... Should we get going then?"

Sh- "I think that's the smartest thing I've ever heard you say."

So- "Yeah right..."

Ax- "Uncky, can I sit with you in the car?"

So- "I don't see why not, only if your mother lets you."

Ax- "Mummy?"

Rouge looked at Axel's begging face, commonly referred to as the puppy dog eyes, which he inherited from Shadow and worked almost every time with Rouge.

R- "Only if you're good..."

So- "I'm sure he will be, won't ya little bud?"

Sonic had put Axel on top of his shoulders, giving him an elevated ride.

Ax- "Yeah!"

Shadow stood up, and headed for his room to get his Chaos Emerald, which was soon to be needed for a small task. When he returned, Rouge was zipping up Jade and Axel's coats, and they were all ready to leave. Axel's was a bit harder to fit, as he refused to come down from Sonic's shoulders, making Sonic nervous as Rouge had to stand in front of him and reach up.

Sh- "Come along Jade."

Shadow opened the door to the garage, which lit up as he entered. The kids hadn't been in the garage many times, and every time they took a look around they were usually told off for snooping. Shadow walked around his car to the passenger side and opened the door. Jade followed him and climbed on to the passenger's seat, where Shadow clicked her seatbelt in.

Sh- "You want to have a bit of fun on the way there?"

Jade didn't say anything back, but just looked at him with a sad face.

Sh- "What's the matter Jade?"

Shadow walked around to his own side and got in, still not getting an answer.

Sh- "Do you still think that I favour Axel instead of you?"

J- "Yes... You were sad when he lost..."

Sh- "Of course I was, but I was also happy that you won! Your mother and I are always going to be sad if our kids don't win something... Do you understand?"

J- "Yes..."

Sh- "And you know that I love you very much, right?"

J- "Yeah."

Sh- "So I'll ask you again, do you want to have some fun on the way there?"

Jade changed her emotions without hesitation, and started smiling at Shadow.

Sh- "I'll take that as a yes then."

Shadow held up his Chaos Emerald, and was about to induce Chaos Control, but remembered that Jade had never used it before.

Sh- "Jade, close your eyes for a few seconds and don't open them until I tell you to."

J- "Okay."

Sh- "Good girl."

She complied with Shadow's request, and closed her eyes, awaiting the word from her father to reopen them.

Sh- "Chaos Control..."

Shadow would usually dematerialize himself and others without the use of a Chaos

Emerald, but since he was moving a whole car, the emerald was needed unless he took the risk of removing his inhibitor rings. The car reappeared outside of the house, parked on the other side of the street parallel to Amy's.

Sh- "You can open them now..."

Jade took a look around, seeing that Shadow did in fact move the car without even turning it on.

J- "Wow!"

Sh- "You like it?"

J- "Was that magic?"

Sh- "Don't be silly Jade, you think your brother is a magician as well?"

J- "Not really..."

Shadow looked to the front of his house, where the door had opened and Rouge walked out holding hands with Axel. They were followed by Amy and Sonic, and then Axel started to wave to his father from across the street. Shadow waved back as he was strapped in to his child seat that Amy had bought for whenever Rouge borrowed the car. As they all got in, Shadow started his engine and started to drive ahead slightly.

Sh- "You think this car is fast?"

J- "Not as fast as mummy's."

Sh- "We'll see about that."

Recently, Shadow had taken up a new hobby, of upgrading a few car parts and taking good care of it, which sent Rouge mad as he spent more time in the garage than he did with her at times. Shadow had bought a new engine for the Porsche, a V12, which was usually only used in supercars. It shamefully cost him more than it did for Rouge's most recent birthday present, which this year, was a gold bracelet, and Rouge adored it, but kept it safe while she wore her diamond necklace. Shadow pulled alongside Amy, and wound his window down, to have a quick chat with Rouge before he set off.

Sh- "We're going along the highway for about five minutes, then taking the turnoff for Route 280?"

R- "Yeah, that's the plan, why?"

Sh- "Nothing... Just some of the most recent news mentioned Route 280..."

Shadow wound his window back up and accelerated slightly, putting a distance of about fifty yards between the two cars.

R- "What's happened to 280?"

So- "Now I see why he wanted to drive... He's playing tricks on you Rougey."

R- "How come?"

So- "Maintenance along the whole route, all the speed cameras are currently down for repairs and upgrades."

R- "I swear if he..."

Ax- "What is daddy going to do mummy?"

R- "He's going to be in big trouble if he does what I think he's going to do..."

Amy herself had started driving and caught up to Shadow, which he noticed in his overhead mirror.

Sh- "You want to scare your mother Jade?"

J- "Haha, yeah!"

Sh- "Hang on then..."

Another street was about to join on to the one Shadow was currently on, and he had wanted to try something out for a while. Upon reaching the turnoff for the street, he made a hard turn right, spinning the car almost a perfect 180.

R- "What the hell..."

So- "Did he just crash?"

Shadow changed gear as quick as he could while still moving, flicking his wrist down into reverse, and again accelerated, driving backwards down the quiet street.

R- "Shadow! You irresponsible bastard!"

Ax- "Mummy made a swear!"

Amy had again caught up to Shadow, close enough to see him through the front windscreen. He put his hands behind his head and just lay down, taking a quick rest.

R- "That's my daughter in there you know?!"

Sh- "Give your mother a wave Jade, she looks petrified."

Rouge noticed a small hand appear from below the dashboard in Shadow's car, making a waving motion.

So- "Where did he learn to drive like that?"

A- "I don't know but I don't think he's seen that car coming..."

Amy hit her horn, making Shadow look up at his rear view mirror, noticing the headlights in the distance.

Sh- "Now the tricky part..."

Shadow sat back up, and spun the steering wheel as far as it would go, righting his course while changing back into an appropriate gear. After passing the oncoming car, Shadow felt a bit relieved that he managed to pull it off, and looked at Jade who was giggling wildly.

Sh- "What's funny?"

J- "I wish I could have seen mummy's face!"

Shadow checked his rear view mirror again, and noticed Amy's car approaching quickly.

Sh- "And that wish may come true..."

Shadow moved over to the side of the road, giving Amy enough space to pull alongside. They both wound their windows down again, and Rouge was fuming.

R- "Are you stupid?!"

Sh- "Nobody got hurt did they?"

Jade peered over the window, still smiling from the earlier thrill.

J- "Hi mummy!"

R- "You and I are going to have a talk mister! Don't think you can avoid me forever!"

Sh- "Just leave your window open for a while and cool down hon, you look tense."

J- "Yeah mummy!"

Shadow sped off ahead, leaving Rouge to intake the smell of the burning rubber from Shadow's tyres.

R- "I'm gonna kill him..."

So- "You gotta admit though, it was pretty cool, wasn't it Axel?"

Ax- "Mummy is just jealous."

R- "Be quiet Axel. Do you want to be grounded like your sister will be?"

So- "Come on Rouge, they're kids, let them have fun whenever they can. It's not every day that Shadow makes them laugh."

Shadow and Jade were already out of sight. They had reached the highway and were just on the border of the current speed limit, and Shadow couldn't wait for the turnoff for Route 280.

Sh- "Your mum's gonna kill me for that you know..."

J- "Why?"

Sh- "Well, let's just say it was very risky..."

J- "Mummy is still faster..."

Jade was a bit disappointed that Shadow hadn't proved his car was faster than Rouge's, and just sat looking around the car, twiddling her thumbs. Shadow thought that this would be a good time to bring something up with Jade that had been on his mind for quite a while now.

Sh- "Jade, what do you think of the name Maria?"

J- "It's a nice name daddy."

Sh- "It is, isn't it... That's what I wanted to name you, but your mother insisted that I try and forget my past..."

J- "What do you mean?"

Sh- "I'll tell you in a few years; it's not really a story for a two year old..."

J- "What about Axel's name?"

Sh- "Well, since your mother named you, I was given the task of naming your brother, and it took me a while to finally think of one."

J- "Why?"

Sh- "At the time, I wasn't very well, but I got much better when you two came along."

J- "How daddy?"

Sh- "You actually want to know? I thought you were a little momma's girl hmm?"

J- "She doesn't tell me or Axel about herself, only you."

Sh- "You don't want to know everything about me, not for a while anyway, I'll tell you when you go to college..."

J- "I don't wanna go to college! I wanna be an agent like you and mummy!"

Sh- "I'm sorry Jade, but neither you nor Axel are going to work at G.U.N, it's far too dangerous."

J- "But I wanna go there! It sounds so cool!"

Sh- "Let me guess, your mother told you about Omega?"

J- "Yeah! Is he really a robot?"

Sh- "Yes he is, and a strong one at that."

Shadow was trying to think what Rouge would do in this situation, whenever the kids asked questions about work; she was usually the one to answer them.

Sh- "Tell you what, how about I take you for a look around on Monday? I'm sure there are a few people who would like to meet you."

J- "Me?"

Sh- "Yep, you and Axel are well known at work."

Jade was a bit shy when outside of the house in public, and didn't like people looking at her.

Sh- "Well? Blaze will probably be there..."

J- "Will Axel go with me?"

Sh- "Of course, you can come to the gym with me after if you want, I'll show you all of the cool machines."

J- "Okay, I'll go."

Sh- "I'll have a talk with your mother later then, she might come around with us."

Shadow took another turn off and headed on to Route 280, where the speed cameras were indeed taken down, and the road itself was practically empty.

Sh- "Now we'll see who's faster, you might want to hold on to something."

Shadow burst away from his mark, changing to the highest gear as soon as he could and kept his foot down. One hand was on the wheel, while the other was on his phone, ready to capture the top speed along the straight road.

J- "The trees daddy!"

Sh- "We're moving very quickly aren't we?"

J- "You're much faster than mummy!"

Sh- "Indeed I am, we'll arrive in no time."

The car was now at its top speed, and the engine now stuck to one pitch, rather than the frequent rise every so often. Shadow quickly took a picture and slowed down considerably, to less than half the speed he was just driving at. Shadow sent the image to Sonic's phone, and sent a short message telling him to show it to Axel. Shadow put his phone down, and then reached over and ruffled Jade's hair again, making her complain with mumbling. Amy was about to take the turnoff for Route 280, and saw a few heavy tyre marks painted across the road.

A- "One guess as to where those came from..."

Sonic's phone went off, and received the photo along with the message.

So- "Hey Ax, look what your father's just done..."

Sonic handed his phone over and Axel had a long look at the photo, his eyes in disbelief.

Ax- "I didn't know he was that fast!"

R- "Who being how fast?"

Rouge turned around in her seat, looking at her son who was still looking at Sonic's phone.

R- "Axel what are you looking at?"

Ax- "Nothing mummy..."

R- "Axel..."

Rouge took the phone from him, and he let out a quiet "aww.", thinking he was about to get his dad into trouble.

R- "Sonic, who's car is that?"

So- "Look at who sent the message..."

Rouge backed out of the image close up, seeing her partner's name printed across the top of the screen.

R- "He's dead. I'm gonna kill him."

So- "Oh come on Rouge, he was just having some fun."

R- "With my daughter in the passenger seat! He's a fucking tool!"

Ax- "Mummy you swore again!"

A- "Axel honey, don't say any of those words okay? Mommy is just upset, that's all..."

R- "Upset? I'm not upset... I'm livid! He's going to be eating his meal through a damn straw when I get a hold of him."

So- "Now I see why you two still aren't married..."

Ax- "Mummy, why are you mad at daddy?"

R- "He's overstepped the line this time, and he's going to face the consequences..."

Shadow had pulled in to the car park of the restaurant and unfastened Jade's seat belt, then got out of the car and went around to her side. He opened the door for her and she jumped out, staying close to her father.

Sh- "Don't be shy Jade... Did you have fun then?"

J- "Yeah!"

Sh- "I'm going to show Axel on the way back so you'll be with your mother."

Shadow jumped onto the back of his car, sitting on the spoiler as he waited for the others to show up.

Sh- "You coming?"

J- "I can't jump that high..."

Sh- "Then fly up."

J- "You told me not to!"

Sh- "In the house, yes, but we're outside and nobody else is here, so..."

Shadow gently patted the car and Jade flew up, still not very confident with flying.

Sh- "You'll get used to it Jade, and your mother will keep on teaching you so don't worry about it."

Jade sat down next to her father and rested against him, joining the wait for the others.

Sh- "So what do you want to eat then?"

J- "I don't know..."

Sh- "Well you have to have some idea..."

J- "Nope."

Sh- "You're lucky you're cute... Most people who don't give me a straight answer aren't very grateful afterwards."

Shadow was trying to bond with his daughter recently, feeling as though he had spent too much time with Axel in comparison. Jade would usually either spend more time with her mother, or by herself, which is the reason Shadow believes that she's quite shy. After another five minutes of talking to each other, Shadow spotted Amy's car pulling in to the car park, then pulling in to the space beside Shadow. Sonic was the first to get out with Axel hanging on to his shoulders.

So- "How many upgrades did you give that thing?"

Sh- "As many as she needed, why?"

So- "Because hitting 320 isn't something you see in everyday sports cars bud. Oh, and heads up, Rougey is probably about to flip at you."

Amy opened her door with Rouge opening her own a few seconds behind her, who slammed the door and marched around to Shadow.

A- "Rouge, please reconsider this!"

Rouge didn't answer and squared up to Shadow, who had jumped off of the spoiler, while Jade remained up there at head height with the others. Axel had also climbed on to the spoiler from Sonic's shoulders. Rouge started to whisper angrily into Shadow's ear, keeping everyone else unaware.

R- "You dare do that again, and you will never see my kids again, do I make myself clear?"

Shadow didn't want to follow the whispering rules, and spoke out in his usual pitch.

Sh- "Your kids? They're my kids too you know."

R- "And you almost got my daughter killed!"

Sh- "Look at her, she enjoyed it!"

Rouge didn't bother looking at Jade individually, but both of the kids, noticing that neither of them were looking. Rouge quickly jabbed Shadow in the gut, winding him and almost making him topple over.

R- "I'll repeat, do I make myself clear?"

Sh- "Yes..."

Rouge bumped Shadow as she passed him, picked both of the kids up and headed inside, with Amy shortly following her. Sonic remained with Shadow, who was still feeling the effects from Rouge's punch.

So- "You okay bud?"

Sh- "Not really... I'm surrounded by abuse..."

So- "I'm sure you can take it. Nice move on the street though, Axel loved it."

Shadow stood up straight and headed inside, meeting up with the others in the waiting area.

R- "Pass me your keys."

Sh- "What for?"

R- "Because I'm driving on the way back, and we're going to have a talk about what you just did."

Sh- "Fine..."

Shadow handed his keys over to Rouge, which she dropped in her bag and turned away from him, still with a bad temper.

Sh- "So you're not talking to me then?"

Rouge didn't answer him, and tended to the kids instead, who wanted to take their coats off.

R- "I'll talk to you alright..."

Amy put a hand on Rouge's shoulder as she was crouched down, and then whispered something into her ear.

A- "You know where he went today, don't you? It's not easy for him to put on a straight face like nothing happened."

R- "That doesn't explain why he was driving over three times faster than the speed limit... Or reversing down a public street at the usual driving speed."

A- "He's right though, nobody was hurt so just try to let it go."

Once Rouge took Axel's coat off, he ran over to Shadow, who had his arms crossed, watching Rouge whispering about him.

Ax- "Daddy! Jade said she's going to work with you!"

Sh- "I told her that I'll take you both to HQ on Monday if it's okay with your mother."

Axel ran back to his sister and mother, and got both of their attention with his request.

So- "You're taking them to HQ? What for?"

Sh- "Jade said she wants to be an agent when she's older. I'm against it, but I might as well show her around and prove that it's not all that great."

So- "And Axel?"

Sh- "What goes through that boy's head, not even I know..."

So- "He's a good kid Shadz."

Sh- "You're only saying that because he likes you."

So- "That may be one reason, but he's not the worst kid there is."

Axel ran back over to them, and looked up at Shadow.

Ax- "Mummy said we can go if she drives."

Rouge heard Axel, and peered over to him, raising her voice.

R- "And?"

Ax- "Erm... And if you wear your scarf the whole time."

Shadow looked to Sonic, who just shrugged his shoulders. This was most likely just part of Rouge's payback at him, and she can't stay mad forever.

Sh- "Okay then, I'll wear it. Just for yours and Jade's benefit."

Ax- "Thank you daddy!"

Axel was about to run off, before Shadow had pulled him back gently.

Sh- "Is a thank you all I'm going to get?"

Shadow took a knee down to Axel's level, which Axel got a bit confused about.

Sh- "What's the matter?"

Ax- "There's people..."

Sh- "So? It's not frowned upon to give your father a hug you know."

Axel hesitantly gave Shadow a hug, and felt a bit embarrassed afterwards.

A- "Guys, you coming or not?"

Shadow looked up, where someone was showing Rouge to the table, while Amy stayed behind to round up the stragglers.

So- "Yeah Ames, hold on."

Sonic followed Amy, leaving Shadow and Axel still at the entrance.

Sh- "Something is up with you Ax, I can tell."

Shadow picked Axel up, putting him on his back to give him a short carry before sitting down at the table.

After the rather awkward meal, where Shadow and Rouge barely spoke to one another, it was starting to get dark outside. The waiter took away the empty plates, and then returned, asking if anybody wanted a dessert.

Ax- "Ice cream!"

J- "Yeah!"

R- "Kids... You can have some at home before you go to bed."

Sh- "We don't have any left..."

Rouge gave a cold stare to Shadow, obviously knowing what he had just told her, but wanting to get home as soon as she could. Shadow looked over to the waiter and had a look at the drinks menu right after.

Sh- "These two will just have some ice cream, and I'll take a glass of red."

Shadow took advantage of the fact that Rouge had taken his keys, seeing this as an opportunity to have a quick drink before heading off.

A- "So Shadow, how's work been? Seems as you're pretty much running the place now."

Both Shadow and Rouge looked to Amy. They had both forgotten to tell Sonic and Amy to keep quiet about it around the kids.

Sh- "Here we go..."

Ax- "You didn't tell us you owned work!"

Sh- "I don't, it's owned by the biggest shareholder, which is currently tied right now. And I'm sort of the unofficial director currently, so I'm technically not the boss."

J- "What does a director do daddy?"

R- "Not a fucking lot..." Rouge muttered under her breath, which Shadow still heard.

Sh- "Well, I take the orders from the board, apply a bit of knowledge and send agents out on assignments."

Ax- "Do you do assignments daddy?"

Sh- "Yes Axel, your mother and I work together on the hardest assignments."

Ax- "Do you boss her about?"

Sh- "Son, it's the other way around."

Both Amy and Sonic laughed, while Rouge wasn't too impressed.

R- "Maybe if you weren't so naive then I wouldn't have to boss you around so much."

Sh- "Why will you never let Spagonia go?"

R- "Why? Because you got captured by the enemy! Twice!"

Sh- "And we found out where they were hidden when you followed my captors right?"

R- "You mean after I had to free you? Yeah, I guess we did."

So- "See, if I was still working with ya, there wouldn't have been any capturing problems."

A- "Instead it would have been constant hunger problems..."

So- "I have an appetite, so what?"

A- "Well, the last assignment you were part of, you took a break halfway through!"

So- "So?"

A- "You were eating while they were fighting for their lives!"

So- "They had it covered, didn't ya?"

Sh- "I almost killed somebody during that assignment thanks to you."

Shadow hadn't recorded a kill for three years, his last was unfortunately Katie, and he was now against killing, it was one of his new rules he had put into place for himself.

J- "Daddy said that uncle Sonic was the worst person he's worked with."

So- "He's just jealous Jade, loads of people are jealous of your uncle."

Sh- "Will you stop emphasizing that?"

So- "No way, you suggested it if you remember."

Sh- "And I regret ever saying it..."

The waiter returned with two small bowls of ice cream for the kids, and Shadow's wine, on a tray that was set down on to the table.

Sh- "And we'll pay now as well if you don't mind."

The waiter again left the table, and conversation again arose, targeting Shadow.

R- "I'm sure you have a wine addiction. It's not healthy."

Sh- "What, and gambling ten percent of your wage every week is?"

Rouge blushed a little bit, since she did in fact gamble some of her wage, and then there are the occasional games nights in which the kids weren't really encouraged to come along to.

Sh- "You're addicted to losing money, so don't try and have a stab at me."

R- "It's not an addiction..."

Sh- "Have you ever had profit?"

R- "Well, no, but... But it's not about profit! It's about having fun!"

Sh- "Okay then, last week on Friday night. Remember what happened then? You lost to a straight flush which Blaze had, and then you stormed out of the room swearing, and you woke the kids."

Ax- "Mummy said shit!"

R- "Axel, don't say that word."

Ax- "You said it!"

R- "And it was very bad of me, and if I hear you say it again, you'll be put to bed early, do you understand young man?"

Ax- "Yes mummy..."

Axel went back to his ice cream; while Shadow just sat back having a laugh to himself, knowing he was soon to be off the hook. The waiter returned, offering him a machine to pay with his card, which he used, and he entered his details.

Sh- "You know Rouge, maybe you should play poker with the kids, you might actually win."

R- "Our kids are not gambling."

Sh- "Look at it like this, you could be giving them an extra allowance."

R- "To do what with it? They have everything they need, and you spoil them by giving them everything they want!"

The waiter left, and Shadow finished his glass, while the kids were finishing off their dessert.

Sh- "I want my kids to have a good childhood, is it too much to ask for?"

So- "Living in a house with two killers... Sounds like they're already living the lifestyle Shadz."

Sh- "Don't call me that. I am not a killer."

So- "How's Blaze and Silver doing anyway? Still living off the Golden Coast?"

Sh- "Where else would they be? But yeah, they're working things out with HQ, proving that they aren't a threat."

So- "Some days I wish I was still doing a few assignments alongside you, we made a good team after all."

Sh- "Did we? All I remember about them is me partly helping, and then Rouge would take me away for a bit into a dark alley or something. Heat of the moment sorta thing you said right?"

R- "Shadow! Not in front of the kids!"

Sh- "They didn't hear, and they wouldn't even understand if they did... Kids, get your coats on, you're getting a lift back from Sonic and Amy."

Ax- "But you said I could watch you drive!"

Sh- "Sorry Ax, another time. Your mother wants to talk on the way back so you might hear the car if you listen."

R- "I'm not breaking the law Shadow."

Ax- "Mummy! Daddy promised me!"

R- "I know hon, but another day okay?"

Ax- "I wish Uncle Sonic and Auntie Amy were my parents..."

Sh- "They're welcome to take you..."

A- "Shadow! You two are great parents, you're very lucky Axel."

Ax- "No I'm not..."

Sh- "I guess someone doesn't want to come to HQ... Looks like we'll have to get Silver to look after you."

Ax- "Not Silver!"

R- "Axel, be nice to him. He doesn't talk about you behind your back."

Sh- "He'd be very sorry if he did."

R- "And it's getting late, so you two should be going to bed soon, come on, put your coats on."

Rouge went over to help Axel, while Shadow went to help Jade, who had both finished their ice cream.

Sh- "Oh Jade..."

Shadow wiped off some ice cream that was on Jade's nose, which made her giggle.

Sh- "Faker, go and get the extra seat from the car and set it up would you?"

So- "Whatever..."

Sonic walked off with Amy, while Shadow and Rouge were getting the kids down from their chairs.

R- "Let's go home now kids, and be good for your aunt and uncle okay?"

J- "Yes mama."

The kids walked on ahead by a few feet, holding each other's hand like they had been taught to.

R- "They are so cute..."

Sh- "Don't get used to it... They'll grow up quicker than you want them to."

Shadow arched an arm around Rouge and walked with her and the kids to the exit, easing himself back onto Rouge's good side. Amy and Sonic had just unlocked the car by the time they arrived, and were about to fit the extra seat.

So- "This might take a few mins, so hold on squirts."

Axel turned to his parents, who were watching him closely.

Ax- "I'm bored mummy."

R- "We'll be home soon Axel, hold on."

Ax- "We want to play a game though!"

Rouge looked to Shadow, who would usually deal with this situation with a reinforced warning.

Sh- "A game? You feeling fast tonight Axel?"

Ax- "Yeah!"

Sh- "And you Jade?"

J- "Faster than Axel!"

Sh- "Okay then, if you catch me I'll read you a story later..."

Ax & J- "Yeah!"

Sh- "But..! If you don't! Then you have to treat me and your mother while we relax, how about that then?"

Axel ran forward, trying to tap Shadow, but he disappeared, reappearing a few lanes down, tapping his foot with impatience.

Sh- "Was that your best attempt?"

Both of the twins now ran at him, laughing with both arms outstretched. Shadow jumped over them, and they then started to take it more seriously. Axel used his own Chaos Control to teleport behind Shadow, while Jade flew straight at him with intense speed. Shadow responded with another Chaos Control, causing Jade to crash land straight into Axel.

Sh- "Come on! I've had assignments easier than this!"

The twins tried a different tactic, as Axel ran straight past Shadow, a few feet behind him, while Jade again flew straight at him with a faster speed. Shadow dematerialized to behind where Jade had came from, again flying straight towards Axel. Jade didn't slow down, and held out her hand, and Axel held out his, inducing his second Chaos Control as soon as Jade tapped his hand. Axel transported them a few feet in front of where he was, but he had reappeared facing the other direction, which meant Jade continued flying towards where Shadow was now stood, and his reactions were too slow. Jade tackled Shadow to the ground, falling flat on his back.

R- "How did they..?"

Shadow let out a small groan, as his elbows were grazed; the force of the impact had knocked him back a few feet which created friction between him and the tarmac.

Sh- "Where did you learn that?"

J- "We didn't!"

Sh- "Even your mother and I have never pulled off anything as greatly coordinated as that..."

Axel ran up to his father and jumped on him, along with Jade.

Ax- "We won daddy!"

So- "Did I just see G.U.N's greatest outsmarted by a duo of two year olds?"

A- "Well they are his two year olds remember..."

The kids climbed off of Shadow, and he stood up, dusting himself off. Rouge walked over to him, and helped him brush himself down, taking a close look at his injuries. She then whispered something in to his ear to keep the kids from hearing.

R- "Maybe they wouldn't make bad agents after all..."

Sh- "Did you teach them that?"

R- "What they have can't be taught..."

The twins were giggling to themselves while Sonic and Amy watched from the car.

J- "You have to tell us a story daddy!"

Sh- "How about the story of what happened to the children who abused their parents?"

Shadow picked them both up, and headed back to Amy's car, settling them both down and strapping them in.

Sh- "I'll see you two back at home okay? And don't get any ideas from these two." Shadow hinted to Sonic and Amy, who sometimes played tricks on Shadow through manipulating the kids.

So- "That's offensive."

Sh- "Why thank you, now get going and leave space out front for Rouge to park."

Sonic and Amy got in the car now that the kids were present and safely secured. As they drove off, the kids peeked through the window and waved, and Rouge returned the gesture. Rouge turned to Shadow, still smiling slightly at how he was taken down by mere infants.

R- "Come on you... We need to get those scratches looked it in some light."

Rouge threw the keys to Shadow, which he caught, but remained confused.

Sh- "I thought you said..?"

R- "And you've earned your privileges back, unless one tiny glass of wine made you unable to drive of course."

Sh- "Get in then."

Shadow unlocked the doors and sat down, followed by Rouge who took a look around the interior, which had changed since her last journey in it.

R- "My, no wonder you spend so much time in here."

Shadow drove out of his space, and left the car park, venturing onto the roads which were flooded with darkness. Shadow was still in shock about the kids being both skilled, and having the ingenuity to produce tactics at such a young age.

Sh- "Were you serious about letting them become agents?"

R- "Well why not? We could teach them, and they could become better than we ever were."

Sh- "But they're our kids... It's like saying 'hey, you want to risk your lives because we think you might be good at being a trained assassin?'."

R- "Look at it like this, times may change when they're old enough to sign up, you were no different from anyone else you know. It was obvious that you wanted to give it a go, so give them a chance to."

Sh- "Remember the nickname they had for me? Cold blooded? I don't want our children to be labelled the same way I was."

R- "Shadow... I know it sounds horrible of me, but you had nobody that you spoke to, nobody to help you through the hard times. No family, no friends..."

Sh- "Nobody to say goodbye to if I died out on the field."

R- "I understand your argument clearly, but who are we to stop them from following a dream?"

Sh- "Their parents."

R- "There's a phrase Shadow, if you love someone, let them go."

Sh- "And did you let me go? When I was on the brink of crossing over countless times?"

Rouge was hitting a few sensitive points within Shadow, and she knew this, but she had to get him to understand no matter how much it hurt him.

R- "Shadow, I don't want to resort to this, but there's someone in your past who was very familiar with that phrase."

Sh- "And she died because she saved me, and I don't want that to happen again."

R- "Maria gave you a chance... Surely your kids deserve the same opportunity that she gave to you?"

Sh- "Don't talk about her as if you knew what she was doing, she was too young to make that decision herself, and she panicked."

R- "Give it a think will you hon? They won't be alone out there, and you could decide what they would be doing."

Sh- "If I see anything that provides any more benefits, then I may reconsider."

R- "Thank you."

Shadow had arrived at the turnoff for Route 280, and a car's rear lights could be seen in the distance, belonging to Amy's car.

Sh- "Think Axel still wants to see how fast we can go?"

R- "Oh Shadow, please don't..."

Sh- "Where's the Rouge that likes a little adrenaline pumping through her veins hmm? Can she come out to play?"

R- "Not too fast okay?"

Shadow smiled, and his foot hit the floor, pushing them both back a bit with the sudden rise in speed.

R- "Shadow!"

Sh- "Jade wasn't complaining."

Amy looked in her rear view mirror, noticing a pair of bright neon lights quickly approaching, which wasn't the most thrilling thing to see in the darkest hours of the night.

A- "Oh Rouge... What have you done..."

So- "Sup Ames?"

Amy wound her window down an inch, and Sonic's question was answered immediately, hearing the engine behind them.

Ax- "Is it daddy?!"

So- "It sure is Axel..."

The blur of Shadow's car torn through the atmosphere, making a ripping sound as the powerful car passed Amy's, which shook them as it overtook the mini people carrier.

Ax- "Wow!"

A- "I'm surprised Rouge hasn't killed him already."

So- "She's probably enjoying it..."

Shadow was coming up at full speed now, again hitting the 320km/h mark, and started to slow down. Rouge was holding her chest, and her heart was racing, but with excitement instead of fear.

R- "That..."

Sh- "Felt good didn't it?"

R- "I'm sorry I shouted at you before..."

Sh- "I don't blame you for it. It was quite stupid of me doing that with a child in the car, so I guess I'm sorry too."

Now Amy was left behind and out of sight, and Shadow took the turning to head on to the highway, and then in to his estate. Shadow pulled up outside of the house, and switched everything off, and Rouge gave him a kiss afterwards.

Sh- "What was that for?"

R- "I've had a nice night tonight... And I think you've earned a bit more than just a kiss Shadow..."

Sh- "And the kids?"

R- "Well they'll have to be put to bed first won't they?"

Sh- "I lost a bet fair and square to them so it might take a while."

Shadow took his keys out of the ignition and left the car to unlock the front door, while Rouge remained in the car, a little bit behind on her sleep, and it was starting to show. As Shadow returned to her, he opened the passenger door, and picked Rouge up bridal style, who had fallen asleep just seconds ago, then kicked the door shut and locked it remotely. As he entered the house he progressed straight through to their bedroom, which was still located on the ground floor, and set her down on to the bed, stroking her cheek before he left. Amy's car had pulled up just behind Shadow's, and Sonic was leaning over to the backseats, making faces at the twins.

A- "Go on kids, it's getting late and your father is waiting for you. We'll see you soon okay?"

Ax & J- "Don't go!"

Ax- "Stay!"

J- "Just for another hour!"

A- "Well we can't come in unless your dad wants us to."

Sonic had unstrapped both of their seatbelts, and Jade had managed to open the door on her side, resulting in both of the twins running straight toward Shadow.

J- "Daddy! Can aunt and uncle stay for longer?!"

Ax- "We don't want them to go!"

Sh- "Well I don't see why not, but you'll have to be quiet okay kids? Your mother is taking a little nap."

Sonic whispered into Amy's ear after they had both gotten out of the car and were standing on the sidewalk

So- "I didn't think she could be worn out by two kids that easily..."

J- "Are you okay daddy?!"

Jade noticed the grazes on Shadow's elbows that she herself had caused.

Sh- "Of course I am Jade; you just caught me off guard, that's all."

Shadow ruffled Jade's fur again, and led them inside, shortly followed by Sonic and Amy who closed the door after them. They caught up to Shadow, who had taken the kids into the living room, and was in the process of removing the kid's coats. Shadow turned to Sonic and Amy after the twins had both settled down on to the rug, familiarising themselves with their surroundings.

Sh- "You two want anything?"

A- "I'm fine, thank you Shadow."

Sh- "Faker?"

So- "Whatever you're having if you are actually having anything."

Sh- "Keep an eye on these two then."

Shadow left the room, and headed for the kitchen after he had checked up on Rouge, who was still asleep. He opened the fridge and took out two bottles, then returned to try and slowly ease the kids into their room. Shadow handed one of the bottles to Sonic, and then sat down on the small sofa, as the guests had claimed the larger out of the two.

So- "Rouge isn't normally this worn out from the kids, something happen at work?"

Sh- "I was forced to send her out on some solo assignments. I had the board on my back for most of last week, wondering why progress with Blaze and Silver's case had halted."

A- "Why has it halted?"

Sh- "Because we don't know how they got here, we know it was a dimensional portal of some sort, but we can't identify or recreate the source of its power."

So- "You mean how like Chaos energy is the source of Chaos Control?"

Sh- "Precisely, but whatever happened was much more complicated than Chaos Control."

So- "Have you thought about asking 'him'?"

Sh- "The Doctor? Who do you think managed to gather this much information for us?"

A- "Eggman is working for G.U.N?!"

Sh- "Not quite, he agreed to send through any information he finds, providing we tell him the final result, and exactly what happened, and I intend to honour our agreement."

So- "It doesn't sound legit bud, you sure he's not feeding you false information?"

Sh- "It all checks out, but I know exactly what he's up to... Why else would he want to know how to replicate the effects of the accident in Blaze and Silver's dimension?"

A- "He wants to go there?"

Sh- "Because their dimension doesn't have defences strong enough to repel his attacks, he's planning to build an empire there."

A- "And you're going to let him? If you know this then why are you working with him?!"

Sh- "Because we have to no matter what. If we don't, it's unlikely Blaze and Silver will return home, and if we do, then they will return home, and we'll have to try and help them fortify."

So- "I agree with helping them, but making a deal like that with the Doctor is just too risky."

Sh- "Look, let's change the topic, I get enough of this from the board... I need to try and get these two sleepy somehow."

Shadow looked over to the kids, and Axel was already yawning, but Jade still had some energy left in her.

A- "How does Rouge usually get them to sleep then?"

Sh- "She probably wouldn't want me telling you."

So- "What she doesn't know won't hurt her Shadz..."

Sh- "And I doubt any of us could replicate what Rouge does anyway, so it's pointless discussing it."

Shadow was talking about how Rouge would sing to the children, which worked more effectively than it should have. Jade jumped up on to the couch, cuddling in to Shadow who was taking a drink.

J- "Why do you drink daddy?"

Sh- "Because it's something that parents do after having kids. It's pretty much a tradition."

Jade looked at the bottle, and touched the inside of the rim before licking her finger afterwards.

J- "That's horrible!"

Sh- "Don't worry, you'll become good friends with it in the future."

J- "Why is mummy sleeping?"

Sh- "Because she's worked too hard Jade, and needs some time to rest before she is back to her old self."

J- "Is that why you don't sleep? Because you don't work hard?"

Sh- "Cheeky... No, that's not it Jade. Daddy has some trouble when trying to sleep."

J- "Is it because of Katie?"

Shadow's face went blank, he hadn't heard that name said by anybody else for a long time, and it was like poison to him.

A- "Jade honey, come here, you too Axel, I'll tell you a story..."

Amy then looked to Sonic and spoke much more quietly.

A- "See if he's okay and try to keep him calm okay?"

Sonic looked at Shadow, who was staring at his hands, which were starting to shake slightly. The kids left the room holding Amy's hands, and headed for their own room down the hall, ready for their story.

So- "Hey, come with me..."

Sonic took the bottle from out of Shadow's grasp, which was extremely slack, and put it onto the table. He then pulled Shadow up, and escorted him out of the living room, through the garage, and out of the back door. Amy meanwhile had gotten the kids into their beds and pyjamas, and was now sitting on a small chair which was stood between both beds.

A- "Kids, what do you know about Katie?"

J- "I heard mummy on the phone. She said that daddy was sad about somebody called Katie."

A- "Okay, thank you Jade. I'm going to need you to do me, your mother, and your father a favour. Please don't say that name around your father okay? You're not in trouble and you won't be, you don't understand. Can you do that for me?"

Ax & J- "Yes auntie..."

A- "Thank you kids, now what do you want this story to be about?"

Sonic and Shadow were still outside, and Shadow was muttering to himself, trying to relieve himself from the guilt.

So- "Shadow... Tell me what's wrong."

Sh- "It's my fault... The blood won't come off..."

So- "It's not your fault bud, and don't get mad at the kids, it's not their fault either."

Sh- "I let her go, I wasn't ready."

Shadow was now pacing up and down the path, holding his head with one hand, and the other was occasionally cupping his mouth.

So- "It was three years ago Shadz, everything has changed since then."

Sh- "I replay it every night in my head..."

He had stopped trembling, and scrunched his hands into fists, now channelling his grief into anger.

So- "Hey! You're past this, remember? You haven't gotten this mad in months, don't break your track record bro."

Shadow returned to the doorway of the house, and charged at the wall, laying two vicious punches into reinforced bricks, cracking the first layer.

So- "Calm down Shadow..."

Now Shadow's hands did actually have blood on them, and fragments of the brick had pierced his gloves. He fell down onto his knees, holding the hand which looked like it took the most damage while not saying anything at all, not even showing any signs of pain. Sonic put an arm on his shoulder, which gave him a small shock, forgetting that he wasn't alone.

So- "Well that was silly wasn't it?"

Sh- "I'm sorry..."

So- "Get up..."

Shadow stood up, and this time only his arms started to shake, his nerves had finally noticed the distress in his hands.

So- "You need some ice for that?"

Sh- "It'll be fine; I'll sort it out in a minute. Where are the kids?"

So- "Amy has put them to bed, and if I know Ames, chances are she's already told them about it so don't bring it up with them okay?"

Sonic opened the door to the garage, letting Shadow walk through first, still with some pain in his arms. As they entered the main hallway of the house, Shadow headed straight for the bathroom at the end of the hall opposite the kids room, and began searching the overhead cabinets for bandages. After his search proved successful, he removed his inhibitor rings carefully, then threw his ruined gloves into the bin, then ran his hands under a cold tap to remove any remnants of brick. Shadow dried his hands off which were now clean, but the wounds went deep in to the skin, which could possibly scar, and he then began to tightly wrap the bandage around his hands, ending at his elbows. He bit the roll of bandage, tearing off the second length and put it back into the cabinet. Sonic had returned to the living room to finish off his beer before Amy had finished getting the kids to sleep. Amy was doing a good job so far, and Axel had already drifted off, so she was now sat beside Jade's bed almost whispering instead of using her normal indoor voice. Shadow returned to the living room while flexing on the way, stretching the bandages in to a comfortable position.

So- "You all good now bud?"

Sh- "Physically. I'm still debating whether suffering from insanity is considered as a danger to my children."

So- "It's trauma Shadow... But yours is just a bit... Extended? We all have it at one point in our life. And I don't think that you would raise a hand to your children, willingly or unwillingly, you're not like that."

Sh- "Thank you..."

Shadow sat back down on the sofa, also finishing off his own beer before he too went to bed. Amy returned to the living room, and noticed the change in Shadow's appearance almost immediately.

A- "Shadow, what happened? Where are your rings?"

Shadow looked down at his arms, not used to the feel of them being pressured like this, unlike how Rouge's usually were with combat tape.

Sh- "They're on my bedside table. I had an overreaction, that's all."

So- "No harm done Amy, how are the kids doing?"

A- "Both sound asleep, and you should be too Shadow."

Sh- "I should be, yes, but it's not as simple as that with me is it?"

Shadow kicked his feet up, and laid back, closing his eyes, if only for a second.

A- "And should we get going now too? I don't want to be dropping you off too late..."

So- "Shadz, you need us for anything else?"

Sh- "No thank you..."

So- "You sure? I can stay and keep you company."

Shadow opened an eye, unimpressed at Sonic's offer, and closed it again, resting his head back down.

So- "Well, if you're certain... Just make sure you sleep in a bed and not on the couch, kay bud?"

Sh- "Good night."

Sonic followed Amy out of the room, as they both headed for the front door. After they had left, Shadow got up to lock the door for the night, now that he had valuables that are too important to lose, his kids. He slouched back through the house, starting another drink as he did. Shadow peered into the twin's room, just to check that they were both asleep and not pretending, which was a common occurrence when Shadow put them to bed. He switched lights off as he passed every room, and ended his trek with a stop in his bedroom, where Rouge was still asleep. He placed his drink on the table next to his rings and got in beside Rouge, preparing himself for a long inner discussion with himself before finally sleeping.


	2. Chapter 2 - Sleazy Sundays

Chapter 2 - Sleazy Sundays

~ Disclaimer ~ I do not claim ownership of any of the characters or locations that are patented with Sega, only those that are of my own creation.

The covers began to move, as Shadow stretched his legs, only getting the best of six hours sleep. He was used to this by now, and six hours was a good night's sleep to him, considering he had made his annual visit to Katie's resting place which never had a positive effect on him. Rouge was still exhausted, and Shadow had planned to let her have a day off from looking after the kids. While Shadow had emerged from the covers, Rouge remained in her sleeping state, not awakening from the accidental noises Shadow was making. Shadow was looking through some drawers, trying to find another pair of gloves to replace the ones that were torn the previous night. He did eventually find another pair folded away in one of the upper drawers, and he put them on over his bandages, also equipping his inhibitor rings. Shadow returned to the bed and sat down on the side, continuing his drink which he had left on the table last night. As Shadow drank every drop left, he put the bottle back down onto the table, unfortunately a little too loud. Rouge's ears twitched and she opened one eye, noticing Shadow sat with his back to her.

R- "Morning..."

Sh- "Good morning Rouge..."

R- "You should have gotten me up last night; I didn't really want to fall asleep in my clothes."

Sh- "I didn't want to wake you, and I had other matters to attend to."

Rouge noticed Shadow's arms wrapped in a mixture of white and crimson bandages, and some areas were still wet.

R- "What happened?"

Sh- "I had to vent some frustration... Don't worry, nobody got hurt."

R- "Why didn't you tell me?"

Sh- "Jade just mentioned 'her', and I lost it, okay? I feel bad enough as it is already..."

R- "Did you shout at her?"

Sh- "I didn't say anything, Amy took them to their room, and I took to punching the walls..."

Shadow proceeded to unwrap the bandages, pulling them out from underneath his gloves and dropping them to the ground as each length ended. His knuckles had healed over, and he clenched his hand into fists multiple times, getting acquainted with the reduced pressure.

R- "Come back to bed Shadz..."

Shadow looked at Rouge, and forced a smile, despite not being in the right frame of mind to speak to or acknowledge anyone. Shadow lifted the covers up slowly, minimising the stinging pain in his knuckles, then slotted back in to the bed, looking up at the ceiling.

R- "Babe... What's wrong?"

He put his hands behind his head, not wanting to go in depth with his current condition.

R- "Well if you don't want to talk..."

Rouge shuffled over to him and rolled partly on to him, looking deep in to his eyes. She gave him a kiss, and retreated back a few inches, to which he turned his head to her, disappointed.

R- "Did that help?"

Sh- "A little..."

Rouge again got closer to him, and began kissing him in longer, more passionate instances, which she knew that Shadow preferred. Shadow withdrew his hands from behind his head and placed them on Rouge's thighs, which tickled her slightly, making her giggle a bit.

Sh- "Oh, you like that?"

Shadow spun Rouge over, resulting in him now on top, while Rouge shrunk beneath him. Shadow was the one to go in for the assault this time. Shadow's advances were always more direct and much more intrusive than Rouge's were.

R- "I love it when you try Shadz..."

Sh- "Who said I was trying? With you I don't need to try... You're so easy to please."

R- "Hmm... Show me."

Shadow again kissed Rouge, with his hands now behind her back, and this was just the start of what he had planned.

Ax- "Eww!"

Shadow's eyes shot open, and he turned his head to his right, where Axel was stood covering his eyes. Rouge propped herself up and looked over to the door, also at the grimacing child.

Sh- "Axel!"

They were both wondering how he had gotten out of his room and in to theirs without either of them noticing, and Axel's next action answered that query. Axel used Chaos Control and teleported out of the room, to which Shadow swiftly gave chase. He jumped off of the bed and ran out of the door, seeing Axel running back to his room.

Sh- "Come here you little shit!"

Ax- "Daddy was kissing mummy!"

Shadow was just inches behind Axel, when he again teleported while Shadow was still running at a high velocity, resulting in Shadow colliding with the wall at the end of the hall. Rouge had gotten up to investigate as well, following the noise that Shadow had just created. Shadow stood back up and shook his head, then opened the door to the twin's room, where Jade was sitting on top of her bed, and a little bump could be seen moving around underneath the covers on the other bed. Shadow walked over to Axel's bed and ripped the covers off, finding Axel curled into a ball, trying his best to hide. Axel was picked up by the scruff of his neck, and held at eye level with Shadow.

Sh- "I thought I said clearly that you are not to enter our room, or to use Chaos Control when I am not watching you?!"

Ax- "Jade told me to!"

J- "I did not!"

Sh- "Enough! Axel, you are in trouble, you know that?"

Rouge walked in to the room with her arms crossed, looking at Axel.

R- "Your father isn't joking Axel, you know what you did wrong."

Axel looked to his father, who was still holding him at eye level, and put on a sad face, trying to pull off a ruse to make them feel guilty.

Sh- "That doesn't work with me... You're grounded."

R- "You're going to bed earlier and you are having no dessert, does that sound okay to you?"

Ax- "No!"

R- "Good."

Sh- "Jade, I hope that he's lying about it being your idea."

J- "He is daddy. I told him not to!"

Shadow dropped Axel back on to his bed, where he sat with his lip quivering, watching his parents leave the room.

Sh- "That's not gonna work with me either."

Shadow closed the door, and Axel looked to Jade, who was smiling at her brother.

Ax- "You... You lied!"

Axel jumped off of his bed and ran over to Jade's, jumping on when he had reached it.

Ax- "Telltale!"

Axel had inherited his father's impulsive anger, and it was showing, not enjoying the fact that his sister didn't admit that she did actually tell him to go into their parent's room. Axel softly punched Jade in her arms, while Jade just tried to defend herself.

J- "Axel! That hurts! Mummmmyyyy!"

Jade cried at the top of her lungs and the door again swung open, with Shadow investigating the cry for help.

Sh- "Axel! Get off of her now!"

Shadow ran over to the two and separated them, picking Axel up again by the scruff of his neck while he still swung little half hearted punches. Rouge came in and saw her daughter crying, which broke her heart.

R- "What happened? Are you okay Jade sweetie?"

Sh- "Axel, apologise now."

Ax- "No! She lied!"

Sh- "I don't care. Hitting your sister will not solve anything, do you understand?! If you would have come to us and told us personally we would have believed you."

Rouge picked Jade up, and gave her a hug to stop her from crying. Axel gave up trying to get out of his father's grasp and just hung limply.

Sh- "Are you going to apologise?!"

Ax- "Sorry..."

Sh- "And will you hit your sister again?"

Ax- "No..."

Shadow dropped Axel on to his own bed again, and then turned to Jade, still in her mother's arms.

Sh- "Jade, do you have something you want to say to us?"

J- "I told Axel to wake you up and run away..."

Sh- "Thank you. Next time, don't lie to us okay? Now, I hope you have both learnt your lessons and won't do it again, do I make myself clear?"

Ax & J- "Yes daddy..."

Rouge put Jade down on to Axel's bed, and Shadow made a gesture with his head at Axel, who knew what message he was trying to get across. Axel looked down, and shuffled over to his sister, with his arms open. Jade was still in fright, and gripped on to Rouge's leg, who was standing beside the bed.

R- "Jade honey, he's said he's sorry..."

Jade looked up, then looked back to Axel, and put her own arms up, giving him a hug as he approached. Rouge looked over to Shadow, who was looking a bit sour about the event.

R- "Well?"

Sh- "Well what?"

Rouge raised her eyebrows, knowing that Shadow knew exactly what to do.

Sh- "Ugh... Fine."

Shadow turned his attention back to Axel, who was now sitting down with a sad look on his face.

Sh- "You're not grounded anymore Axel... But consider this a warning."

Shadow and Rouge left the kids alone again to continue what they were trying to do earlier. Wake up. Shadow headed for the living room while Rouge headed for the kitchen, both with different routines to follow. Shadow dropped down on to the couch, and put his hands behind his head, taking another little nap to rest himself further. Rouge searched the cupboards for cereal, and two bowls, which were for the twins. Since Shadow had next to no knowledge of how to look after anyone other than himself, Rouge had to take on a larger role of being a parent than what would be considered average. She had to socialise the children, as what Shadow would usually see as normal is either frowned upon or illegal, and Rouge didn't want the kids to become murderers at the age of two.

Sh- "Do I have anything that the board needs me to do?" Shadow had to raise his voice loud enough for Rouge to hear him, who was two rooms away.

R- "No hon..."

Sh- "Are you sure?"

Rouge left the kitchen and stormed in to the living room, and pinched Shadow's ear while he was sleeping, causing him to open his eyes to see Rouge upside down, looking over him.

R- "Don't shout through the house and expect me to shout back okay?! If you want to ask me something, say it to my face, got it?"

Sh- "Woah... No need to be bitchy with me. It was only a question."

R- "Excuse me? Bitchy? I'm sorry if I actually expect my partner to cooperate with me in a relationship, and not slave around for them!"

Sh- "You? A slave? Don't make me laugh... You would enjoy the whipping..."

R- "You need to stop treating me the same way you treat Sonic... I'm not your drinking buddy."

Sh- "Yes you are..."

R- "Go and tell the kids breakfast is ready..."

Rouge returned to the kitchen and Shadow stood up to follow her, however he walked past the kitchen and opened the door to Axel and Jade's room, who had now made friends and were playing a game of hide and seek.

Sh- "Your mother has made breakfast, you can play later."

J- "Will you play with us daddy?"

Sh- "Maybe Jade. Axel, get out of the wardrobe."

Jade walked to her father's side, and Axel opened the wardrobe door and jumped down.

J- "Can we play in the whole house today daddy?"

Sh- "Only if you are careful, I'll pull the stairs down for you after breakfast okay?"

J- "Okay daddy."

Jade reached up and took one of Shadow's hands, waiting for Axel to join them.

Ax- "How did you know daddy?"

Axel joined Jade and Shadow, but didn't take a hand, and was going to walk alongside them.

Sh- "Because I used to play this game years ago Axel. I know all the best places to hide, and it used to be in my job description..."

He was of course referring to hiding in darkness, and seeking out targets that were assigned to him. Shadow took Jade into the kitchen while Axel walked at his side. When they entered the kitchen, two bowls were placed on the table, with a high chair behind each one. Shadow picked Jade up and put her in to one of the chairs, and then looked down to Axel who was waiting with his arms in the air.

Sh- "You want my assistance now do you?"

Shadow picked Axel up and put him into the chair adjacent to Jade's and they both began to eat their cereal.

R- "Have you two made up yet?"

J- "Yes mama."

Shadow walked over to the fridge, and opened it to get himself a morning beer. Once he took the bottle out and was about to uncap it, Rouge walked over to him quickly at took it from him.

Sh- "Hey!"

R- "You drink far too much Shadow, and that is without the unnecessary addition of drinking in the morning!"

Rouge put the bottle back in to the fridge and shut it quickly, turning around to Shadow with her arms crossed.

R- "You're a father, so at least try to be a good role model okay?"

Sh- "You make it sound like they look up to me..."

R- "They do Shadow. It's what children are like with their parents."

The kids were still eating their breakfast, while Shadow and Rouge just exchanged glares, trying to unnerve the other into giving up. Shadow began to walk out of the room, after admitting his defeat.

Sh- "Fine... I'll have one later."

R- "Seriously though, cut down, it's not good for you."

Sh- "I'm going to sort some things out for those two, since they want to explore the house while playing games."

R- "And what games would they be?"

J- "Daddy said he will play hide and seek!"

Sh- "I said I might Jade... That doesn't mean I will for definite."

J- "But daaaaddd..."

R- "Shadow... You haven't done anything with them in ages, they're kids, they need attention."

Shadow looked at Jade, who had finished her breakfast and was now looking at her father with her own version of the puppy dog look, which was much more effective than Axel's. As much as Shadow tried, he couldn't say no to Jade in this state, so he sighed, and then left the room.

Sh- "Ninety nine..."

Jade's eyes lit up, and she looked over to her brother, who returned the same gleaming eyes with his mouth wide open. They both started laughing and jumped down from their chairs and raced to find a hiding place. Rouge moved the now empty bowls and left the kitchen, noticing that the stairs to the study and upper bedrooms had been lowered, and Shadow was lying on a couch in the living room with his eyes closed while counting in his head. He was partly cheating however, staying as quiet as he could, listening for any movements in the rooms above him.

R- "Are you at least going to try and pretend to have some fun with them?"

Sh- "Over all of the years that you have known me, have you ever seen me portray something as 'fun'?"

R- "Not outside of our room..."

Sh- "And I'd prefer it to stay that way. Any more similarities between me and the Faker will make me vomit excessively."

Rouge laid down beside Shadow, resting her head on his shoulder, as he put his arm around her and gripped her firmly.

Sh- "I've never really asked you something about the kids... What is your honest opinion on their future? They don't look like they belong at G.U.N."

R- "We'll see when they're older, we've still got another sixteen years to wait until they're old enough anyway, and they might have changed their mind by then."

Sh- "Let's hope..."

Rouge then remembered the kids and what Shadow was meant to be doing.

R- "Are you going to go and find them then?"

Sh- "I guess... Although I know that they both went upstairs..."

R- "Don't take this seriously; they're just playing after all."

Shadow stood up, providing Rouge with more space on the couch for her to rest.

Sh- "They're always 'just playing'. That's all they ever do..."

Shadow headed straight upstairs, and took a look around the study, finding nothing out of place.

"Jade will probably be high up... And Axel will most likely be somewhere that Chaos Control would come in handy..."

He scanned the top of the bookshelves, and again, nothing was out of place.

"They're not in here it seems..."

Shadow walked to the door on his left, which was one of the two vacant upstairs bedrooms. Upon opening the door, it was clear someone had been in recently, as the floor was cluttered with clothes that were neatly stacked beforehand.

Sh- "So who is responsible for this mess..."

Shadow remembered the last time he had played hide and seek, three years ago with Rouge. His hiding spot back then was simple, and the condition that this room was in could possibly be due to one of the children hiding in a similar spot to Shadow. The bed sheets were wrinkled, and a gap was clear between the sheets and one of the four legs that the bed was standing on.

"Found you..."

He lifted the sheets up and dropped to the ground, looking quickly underneath the bed.

Sh- "Come on... Get yourself out from under there Axel."

Two red irises beamed back at Shadow, the darkness under the bed had hidden the rest of Axel's body. Shadow stood up and crossed his arms, and then began to tap his foot in impatience. Axel crawled out from underneath the bed and stood before his father with his head dropped.

Sh- "What's wrong?"

Ax- "You found me first..."

Sh- "What's the matter with that? I was bound to find one of you first wasn't I?"

Axel looked up with a sad face, thinking Shadow was disappointed with him.

Sh- "Cheer up Ax... It's no big deal."

Ax- "I didn't hide well did I daddy?"

Sh- "Yes Axel, you did, but you just need to cover your tracks a bit more. I was the same a few years ago."

Ax- "How?"

Sh- "Because you're not the first person in this house to hide under the bed. I did the same thing when I hid from your mother, and she found me because I was too reckless."

Ax- "I won't make a good agent..."

Sh- "Axel..."

Shadow picked Axel up and held him over his shoulder to try and keep him from crying.

Sh- "You can do anything if you put your mind to it."

What Shadow had said was the truth, but he was still unsure if that was what Axel really wanted to do in life.

Sh- "Let's go and find your sister, shall we?"

Shadow put Axel down, who had slightly cheered up a bit, and waited for his father's lead.

Sh- "Did Jade come upstairs with you?"

Ax- "Yes..."

Sh- "Do you know where she went?"

Ax- "No..."

Sh- "Great..."

Shadow's first instinct was to check the room across the hall, since Jade musn't have followed Axel into the room where he was hidden. Axel followed Shadow, who had opened the door to the room across the study. Shadow took to searching one half of the room while Axel took the other, working together to find Jade.

Sh- "She might have ran past us earlier... We'll check downstairs."

Shadow headed out of the bedroom and walked through the study to the descending stairs, to which Axel followed him soon after. He took a quick look in to the living room, to see how Rouge was doing. She was still sitting propped up against the sofa, now reading a magazine.

Sh- "You haven't seen your little kiddo running around her have you?"

Rouge looked over the top of her magazine, not knowing Shadow had entered the room.

R- "Hmm?"

Sh- "Obviously not... Never mind then."

Shadow turned around to leave the room, but was halted by the sound of a faint giggle.

Sh- "What was that?"

R- "What was what?"

Sh- "Nothing..."

The giggle could be heard again, and Shadow noticed a pillow propped up beside Rouge, between her and the back of the sofa.

Sh- "What are you reading?"

Shadow approached Rouge, and she rested the magazine on top of the balancing cushion, causing the gap to now close, creating a dark box.

R- "Haven't you got a game to be playing?"

Sh- "I believe the game has just ended."

Shadow took the magazine and tossed it to the side, finding Jade in the gap between her mother, the cushion, and the sofa.

R- "Why did you give your position away? It was flawless!"

J- "Sorry mummy..."

Jade jumped out from her hiding place and slowly descended to the ground, reducing the velocity by creating small instances of flight.

R- "Right, your father wins this round."

Sh- "Round? Come on Rouge..."

For the next two hours, Shadow was pressured by Rouge into playing and bonding with the children, while she tried to rest, but occasionally helped the kids when it came to finding Shadow. Both he and Rouge were already exhausted, while the kids were still full of energy.

Ax- "Again!"

Sh- "No Axel... I need to take a rest okay?"

Ax- "But daaaad."

Sh- "Come and sit up here with me..."

Axel climbed up onto the sofa and sat beside Shadow, while Jade followed Rouge around, sometimes helping her in any way she could. Rouge was busy emptying the dishwasher, and Jade was assisting in putting things away, requiring some guidance on where everything was going. A knock came front the front door, and Axel sat up instantly, curious about the person at the door.

Sh- "Just leave it Ax, it's your mother's turn to answer it this time."

Axel sat back down, and Rouge walked past the living room, followed by Jade.

Ax- "Daddy, why does Jade look like mummy, but I don't look like you?"

Sh- "Because it's random Axel, if everybody looked like their parents, would the world ever change?"

Ax- "Huh?"

Sh- "Never mind, you want to watch something on TV?"

Rouge opened the door, not expecting any visitors tonight, however Sonic and Amy usually popped in from time to time without warning. Tonight however, it wasn't Sonic and Amy visiting, but someone else who had recently bonded with Shadow's family.

R- "Oh, hey... Come in."

"Thank you Rouge."

Rouge joined Shadow in the living room, followed by Jade and two guests.

"Sup Shadow?"

Shadow turned his head to the door, surprised at the arrival of the two newcomers, but he maintained his mysterious facial expression.

Sh- "Silver... Blaze."

B- "Evening Shadow. Hello Axel!"

Ax- "Blaze!"

Axel jumped off the seat indefinitely this time, and ran over to his friends.

Si- "Woah, calm it down little man!"

J- "Mummy and daddy didn't tell us you were coming!"

B- "They didn't know sweetie, we've just got out of G.U.N, and it's been a long day."

Ax- "We're going there tomorrow!"

Blaze knelt down to the kid's level, but looked up at Shadow and Rouge, unsure why Axel had said what he did.

Sh- "I told them they can have a look around... They're adamant that they want to visit."

R- "So how's life been down on the coast recently?"

Si- "It's great... It's just a shame it isn't home."

R- "Aww... Well I'm sure that we're doing everything we can to help."

Blaze stood back up, bringing Axel with her, who had a little crush on her which everyone could see, but nobody would say it to him.

B- "Yeah, the reason we came over was just to say sorry about yesterday... We would have loved to take the kids for the night but HQ was certain that we had to be present for some more of their tests."

Sh- "You don't need to apologise, but it turned out okay in the end, and I think they had fun either way."

J- "Daddy was driving really fast!"

Si- "Shadow..."

Sh- "What?"

Blaze sat down on the sofa beside Shadow, and rested Axel on her legs, and he was happy to just sit there.

B- "What have you two been up to today then?"

J- "We played hide and seek for hours!"

B- "Oh? Just you two?"

J- "Daddy played with us, and mama helped."

Sh- "After what happened this morning... They're lucky to still be in a playful mood."

Si- "What happened?"

Ax- "I saw mummy and daddy kissing!"

Sh- "Axel..."

Ax- "And daddy chased me through the house!"

B- "Well you know why he was kissing mummy don't you?"

Ax- "Why?"

B- "So he doesn't have to kiss you!"

Blaze pressed Axel's nose, which made him laugh, and then he almost fell down onto the floor.

R- "Can I get either of you anything?"

Si- "We won't be staying long, but thanks anyway."

R- "You have plans?"

Si- "Not really, but we're back at HQ again tomorrow aren't we? We might as well get our things ready."

R- "Then stay! At least have dinner with the kids."

Ax- "Yeah! You never visit us anymore..."

B- "Aww... I'm sorry Axel... We've been really busy recently."

Shadow had already sent a message to the Faker, alerting him that Silver had appeared at his, and were now discussing how they should mess around with him like they usually do.

Sh- "So Silver, still using your fairy dust powers?"

Si- "Telekinesis... We've been through this before, and yes, but rarely. The people in this dimension don't take too kindly to floating objects."

Sh- "Sonic told me about his house party that you attended a few weeks ago... Were you honestly out on your second drink?"

Si- "No! They must have added something; they were constantly laughing at me..."

Sh- "No wonder..."

Silver took a seat on the smaller sofa on the other end of the living room, while Rouge sat on the fluffy rug with Jade, and played with each other's hair.

Si- "What about you then? Anything happened with you recently?"

Sh- "Well, apart from being humiliated by a pair of two year olds out in public, not really?"

B- "Oh... What did you do this time Axel?"

Ax- "We beat up daddy!"

J- "Yeah!"

Si- "Wait... What?"

Shadow lifted his arms to show Silver his cuts and grazes from being launched across the car park last night.

R- "Shadow bet them that they couldn't touch him, just playing around really, and these two little rascals teamed up and brought Shadow down a few levels."

Si- "Hah... I thought you were meant to be the Ultimate Life-Form? And you were beaten by a pair of two year olds?!"

Sh- "They fought better than you did when we first met Fairy Dust."

R- "I'll get started on dinner, and I'm making it for six okay?"

B- "Like we could say no to you Rouge..."

R- "Good."

Blaze and Silver had stuck to their word of staying for a meal, and were now spending some time with the kids before they called it a night.

Si- "So what do you two hope to see tomorrow?"

Ax- "I wanna see daddy work!"

J- "I want to meet Omega."

B- "Omega huh? He always gets in to arguments with Silver..."

J- "Why?"

B- "Oh, for stupid reasons mainly... Usually debates about what can be considered logical. It really gets on my nerves."

J- "Huh?"

R- "Blaze, she's smart for her age, but I don't think she really understands what you mean."

B- "Sorry Jade. Erm... Silver claims things make sense when they don't, better?"

J- "Oh..."

Si- "Some of the things that I mentioned cannot be disproved."

Sh- "That's why we call him Fairy Dust... Omega has one good joke one in a century it would seem."

J- "He's not a fairy..."

Si- "Thank you Jade, at least you're smarter than your father."

Sh- "I'm sorry, but at the end of the day, at least I know how to get home."

R- "Shadow!"

Sh- "What? I did say I was sorry before I said it..."

B- "I think we should probably head back now, it's a bit of a walk."

Ax & J- "But Blaaaaze!"

B- "You'll see us tomorrow, don't worry."

Si- "And we'll show you around the labs, if you're interested."

Silver and Blaze stood up, after sitting on the rug with the kids for almost half an hour now, and were about to say good night.

R- "I'm sure you could stay here for the night, it'll save you the walk back."

Sh- "And it's about thirty minutes from here to HQ, whereas it'll take you roughly an hour from the Golden Coast."

B- "Well... Those are the benefits..."

R- "And what doesn't benefit you?"

B- "It's nothing, really."

Sh- "Come on then kids... If Blaze and Silver are leaving, it's time to go to bed."

Ax & J- "Aww..."

Blaze became the sucker, feeling hurt by the disappointment of the children, which was clear on their faces.

B- "I suppose we could stay..."

Si- "Blaze?"

Blaze turned to Silver and whispered at a volume that only he could hear.

B- "We should spend as much time with them as we can, G.U.N could find a way to take us back any day now."

Si- "And they will most likely find a two-way solution, so we can return if we are welcome to."

Blaze felt a small pull on her leg, and looked down to see Axel, trying to get her attention.

Ax- "Will you tell us a bedtime story Blaze?"

J- "Yeah! Auntie Amy isn't very good with stories..."

R- "Kids, they're going to be leaving soon so no story tonight, okay?"

B- "It's okay Rouge, we'll stay, won't we?"

Si- "I guess..."

Ax- "Story!"

B- "Okay Axel... You and Jade go and get ready for bed then, I'll be coming shortly."

Rouge took the kids to their bedroom, and picked out some clean pyjamas for them, while Silver took Rouge's place beside Shadow.

Si- "So they're already skilled fighters hmm?"

Sh- "Unfortunately, yes."

Si- "How's that a bad thing?"

Sh- "It's easy for them to look at me and Rouge, and think that every day we go to work, we will always come back, but we know that if they went and did the same thing, we wouldn't be able to sit idly by. It worries us way too much for something that might not even happen..."

B- "I agree Shadow... It can't be easy having more burdens on your shoulders like that. Of course, I'm not actually saying that the kids are a burden, but I would probably feel the same way."

Rouge returned shortly afterwards, having settled the children down, and was about to call it a night.

R- "They're ready for you now if you want to see them, Shadz, I'm going to bed now too okay hon?"

Sh- "Oh... That's okay, I'll try not to stay up too long or wake you if I do."

Blaze left the room with Rouge, both now walking side by side along the hallway, Rouge stopped outside of the door to the bedroom, and smiled at Blaze as she continued her walk to the kid's room.

R- "Good night Blaze."

B- "Enjoy your sleep Rouge, good night."

Shadow was also feeling the strain from spending the whole day with the kids, and he too wanted to turn in for the night. Blaze had returned ten minutes later after the kids had fallen asleep, enjoying the story that Blaze had told them.

Sh- "Sorry you two, but I'm shattered..."

Shadow didn't want to be a bad host, but reputation wasn't really the thing he cared about right now, and he needed a rest.

B- "I don't blame you; they're full of energy today."

Sh- "You don't mind if I head off now do you?"

Si- "I'm sure we can survive without you."

Shadow stood up and started to walk out of the room, but stopped at the doorway for a brief moment.

Sh- "Good night."

He continued his retreat, and entered the bedroom, leaving Silver and Blaze to have the rest of the night for themselves. Shadow crawled in beside Rouge and put an arm around her, falling asleep rather quickly.


	3. Chapter 3 - Welcome to GUN!

Chapter 3 - Welcome to G.U.N!

Dawn broke, and Shadow's sleep was interrupted earlier than usual, as Jade could be heard crying through the wall.

Sh- "Oh Jade..."

He got up and slouched to the door, wanting to prevent Jade from waking anyone else, but when he entered the kids' bedroom, she had already awoken Axel, who was still sleepy.

Ax- "Jaaaade..."

Shadow walked over to Jade's bed and picked her up, holding her over his shoulder.

Sh- "Shhh, what's wrong?"

J- "I had a nightmare..."

Sh- "Then why were you crying? It's only a dream after all."

J- "I'm sorry daddy..."

Axel, knowing that his father was seeing to Jade, settled back down and drifted off to sleep, as it was only 4AM, and the sun had arose just minutes ago.

Sh- "Are you okay now?"

J- "I don't know..."

Sh- "Do you want to sleep in our bed for the night then?"

J- "Yes please."

Sh- "Okay then."

Shadow took Jade out of the room, and closed the door behind him, now heading back to his own room. Shadow pushed the door open with his free hand, and found Rouge sitting on the edge of the bed rubbing her eyes.

Sh- "Sorry, I tried to calm her down as soon as I heard."

R- "It's okay, what's wrong sweetie?"

Sh- "Nightmare, she's sleeping with us for the last few hours if that is okay."

R- "Of course."

Shadow handed Jade to Rouge, while he circled the bed and got back in, as Rouge placed Jade between them, who found comfort in her mother's arms.

J- "Night mummy, night daddy."

Sh- "Good night Jade."

Rouge gave her a quick kiss and laid back down, grasping as much sleep as she could before another day at work. Shadow's day would usually consist of visits to each department, giving and taking in requests to and from the board, as many of Shadow's colleagues would rather speak to the board anonymously through him rather than speaking out themselves. Compared to three years prior to Shadow's promotion, before the previous commander was overthrown, the agents at HQ now started to trust Shadow much more, believing he has proved he is dedicated to the organisation. Shadow and Rouge's relationship was now also well known within the building, and many agents wanted to see photos of the children, but were always left empty handed, as neither Shadow nor Rouge carried around photos of not even each other, never mind the kids, as it could be a danger to the safety of their family. Topaz had visited the children many times over the last two and a half years, and had developed a stronger relationship with Shadow, grateful for her previous position being reinstated. She was now assigned field work as well as remaining the head in the department of reconnaissance, with much less paperwork than before.

Before he was woken up by Jade, Shadow was dreaming, which was fairly uncommon, but the dream wasn't out of the ordinary. He imagined what life would be like if Katie was still around, and seen how much her loss had really affected him. Maria then came to mind, and he remembered that if it wasn't for the loss of his two best friends, he wouldn't be where he was now, as horrible as it sounded.

Shadow's remaining resting hours left his mind blank, mainly because he was frequently woken by Jade, kicking him while in her own dreams. He knew when enough was enough, so he got out of bed, and it was now 8AM. The room had awakened as the bright sun shone through the curtains, and Shadow began to wake himself up, starting with stretches and yawns. He remembered that he had left Silver and Blaze last night without even showing them to their rooms. Shadow pulled Jade across the bed so she wouldn't disturb Rouge, and tucked her in, before leaving the room and heading upstairs to check on their guests. The door to his left was open, and was the room in which Axel chose his first hiding spot, leaving the room a complete mess after they had finished. A quick peek in the room, and Shadow saw nobody residing in it, most likely whoever was in there must have already gotten up as well. He closed the door and walked across to the room adjacent to the vacant one, and slowly opened the door, trying not to make a noise, as when he opened the door partly, he saw Blaze still asleep. Shadow was about to close the door, but seen a rustling at the bottom of the bed which was partly visible. He pushed the door open further, finding Silver with his back to Blaze, much to Shadow's surprise.

Sh- "Hmph... I had my suspicions..."

Shadow closed the door silently and returned to the ground floor, his final destination was the twin's room, where Axel was asleep, gripping a cuddly toy which Rouge had bought for him, yet he claimed he hated it and didn't want it. Shadow's assessments were complete, and everything was in order, despite Silver's favoured sleeping arrangements. A quick trip to the kitchen followed, and he flicked the coffee machine on, following the usual routine for a 'work morning'. Shadow reached up into the overhead cupboards, to try and find a clean mug hidden somewhere at the back, and withdrew one along with also receiving an unexpected hug from behind.

R- "How was your sleep Shadz?"

Sh- "The usual... How about you?"

Shadow turned around, still in Rouge's grip, and kissed her on the cheek, his bribe for her to let go.

R- "Where do I start? First I dreamt that I was the one in charge at work... And you were just one of my pawns."

Sh- "Ha... Like that would ever happen."

R- "Then I had a dream about the kids... We were attending their agent initiation ceremony..."

Sh- "That's unlikely to happen as well I guess..."

R- "And then finally I dreamt that you treated me to something from the jewellery store..."

Sh- "That's more realistic now then isn't it?"

Shadow took the glass pot out of the coffee machine and filled his mug, then put the pot back without even offering Rouge any.

R- "Hey! You normally do mine too!"

Sh- "You're a big girl, I'm sure you can do it yourself."

R- "Whaddya mean I'm a big girl? Are you calling me fat?"

Sh- "Rouge..."

R- "It's your fault! I had to eat for three when I was carrying the kids you know!"

Sh- "And that was over two years ago... You look no different to how you did before then, okay?"

R- "So now you're saying my look is just plain boring?"

Sh- "Give it a rest... Unless you don't want to hear some juicy gossip to tell your friends..."

Rouge got her own cup out and poured her own drink, while sitting on the kitchen top.

R- "Gossip?"

Sh- "Get down from there and I'll tell you..."

Rouge complied, dropped down, and leaned against the bench, interested in what Shadow knew that she didn't.

Sh- "Let's say a certain couple we know may actually be a couple..."

R- "Who? Sonic and Amy?"

Sh- "No... He hasn't got the guts. Another pair."

R- "Ooh! Tails and Cream! They're probably mature enough now, right?"

Sh- "One more guess, let's just say they stopped here last night."

R- "Ohhh... How do you know? Were you talking to them last night or something?"

Sh- "Actions speak louder than words."

R- "They kissed?"

Sh- "They slept in the same bed apparently."

R- "No way!"

Sh- "Quiet... I don't want you intervening okay? Leave them to it."

R- "We should double date! Or triple date!"

Sh- "Rouge! There might not even be anything going on okay? Keep quiet about it unless they talk to you about it personally, got it?"

R- "But it's so cute..."

Shadow finally managed to take a drink from his mug after Rouge had settled down, a bit overexcited at something that may not even be.

Sh- "Where's Jade?"

R- "Enjoying the luxury of our bed still I'm guessing."

Sh- "We should probably wake the kids up and get them ready for work then."

Shadow quickly finished off his drink and dropped the mug into the sink, then set off to wake Axel. Upon entering the room, Axel was still holding his cuddly toy close to him, and was sucking his thumb simultaneously.

Sh- "Hey buddy..."

Shadow put a hand on Axel's shoulder, which sparked a reaction out of him, instantly dropping his toy and removing his thumb from his mouth.

Ax- "Daddy! Are we going today? Are we?!"

Sh- "Yes Axel... But stay quiet okay? Blaze and Silver are still asleep."

Ax- "Yes daddy."

Sh- "Now, go brush your teeth and get washed. We'll be leaving shortly."

Ax- "Okay."

Shadow ruffled Axel's fur and left the room, meeting Rouge in the hallway as Jade ran past him and joined Axel in the bathroom.

R- "They're normally only this excited for their birthday..."

Sh- "Yeah..."

The sound of feet hitting the floor could be heard above them, and Rouge turned around to the foot of the stairs, about to go and greet whoever was coming downstairs. Shadow however had different plans, and put a hand on Rouge's shoulder to stop her from making a scene.

Sh- "Don't you dare."

R- "I'm only gonna say hi..."

Rouge shook Shadow's hand off of her shoulder, and continued walking towards the stairs, to where she came face to face with Blaze who hadn't yet woken up fully.

R- "Good morning kitty."

B- "Oh, hey, I was just on my way to the bathroom..."

Blaze was acting a bit shifty, and not her usual self.

Ax- "Blaze!"

Axel ran from the bathroom, heading straight for Blaze's legs, to which he hugged, and looked up at his friend.

B- "Hello Axel."

Jade also emerged from the bathroom, with toothpaste all around her mouth, rushing herself to finish up.

R- "Oh Jade..."

Rouge put her cup down onto a shelf, and approached Jade, then took a knee to her level and cleaned her mouth.

R- "There... Now let's go and get you dressed shall we?"

Jade took the lead and Rouge followed her, leaving Shadow with Blaze and Axel.

Sh- "How was your night?"

B- "It was nice, but it's hard to compare it with the coast."

Sh- "Is Silver up? We're going soon."

B- "I... I don't know."

Sh- "I'll go and check on him then."

B- "No!"

Shadow arched an eyebrow, surprised at Blaze's outburst.

B- "Sorry. I'll go and check on him. You finish your coffee."

Sh- "Very well, Axel, let Blaze go now."

Ax- "Aww..."

As Axel released Blaze, she took a quick trip back upstairs, and then returned two minutes later with Silver in tow, as she headed to the bathroom. Silver joined Shadow and Axel who were in the living room, as Shadow was going through some ground rules with Axel.

Sh- "Whatever you do, do not cause any panic in the building okay? No shouting, no running, and no use of firearms. Do you understand?"

Ax- "Yes daddy..."

Si- "He's not that bad Shadow..."

Shadow looked around to the door, where Silver was standing whilst observing the lecture.

Sh- "So you're finally awake then. Even if he isn't bad in your eyes, all I see is pure evil."

Si- "You're not pure evil are you kiddo?"

Silver ruffled Axel's fur, who was sat on the couch beside his father, and then sat down next to him.

Sh- "We'll see. So, do you want to ride along with us to HQ?"

Si- "Hmm?"

Sh- "I'll give you a lift, but Ax here will be sitting with you."

Si- "And I'm guessing Blaze will be looking after Jade?"

Sh- "If Rouge agrees, yes."

R- "If I agree with what?"

Jade skipped into the living room, followed by Rouge, who were both now ready to go, as soon as Blaze was done.

Sh- "If we take our guests with us, and let them handle the kids while we drive. And before you say anything, I know, it's not safe, but it doesn't benefit me in any way, so it's not selfish okay?"

R- "Give a speech next time... I was already going to say yes without the explanation."

Sh- "Very well then."

Jade climbed up onto the couch and sat with Axel, between Shadow and Silver.

R- "I can't remember, Silver, did you get dessert last night?"

Sh- "Rouge..."

Si- "What?"

R- "Oh, nothing."

Silver looked to the doorway, as Blaze walked past and headed back upstairs.

R- "Got your eyes on something Silver?"

Si- "Huh? No... I..."

Silver started to blush, clearly being made uncomfortable by Rouge.

Sh- "I've already told you Rouge."

Everybody stood up, as Blaze made her way back downstairs, and gathered in the hallway, where the twins were putting their shoes on.

Sh- "Have you done your laces correctly this time Ax?"

Ax- "I think so."

Shadow looked down at Axel, who had actually managed to tie his laces properly, and was now waiting for his mother to help him with his coat. Rouge was currently helping Jade with her coat, and moved on to help Axel when she was done.

R- "Right... Is everyone ready then?"

Sh, Ax, J, Si, B- "Yep!"

R- "Good, we'll see you boys there then, and no racing!"

Silver looked to Rouge, who wasn't drawn in by the thrills of speed.

Si- "I'll watch him for you."

Shadow unlocked the door and led Axel and Silver out, while Rouge headed in to the garage where her car was parked. Shadow knew that it was a mistake to allow Rouge to be near enough alone right now with either Blaze or Silver, but what he didn't know, is that he was going to contradict his own wish. Once both Silver and Axel were settled, Shadow drove off, leaving Rouge a bit behind.

Sh- "Look, Silver..."

Si- "Yeah?"

Sh- "Three years ago... Sonic caught me and Rouge sleeping together, and coincidentally, he was only looking for me. I promise you now, that I was only checking to see if either of you were awake."

Si- "What are you getting at here?"

Sh- "I know about you and Blaze, and Rouge does too. If you don't want to go into detail with me, I understand clearly, I was the same in the past."

Si- "I see... I'm sorry, nothing happened between us, she just asked me to keep her company for the night."

Sh- "Mhmm... Blaze is probably going through the same conversation as you right now, so don't worry."

Si- "You think?"

Sh- "I know."

.

R- "No way! I didn't know you had a soft spot that big for him!"

B- "Rouge... You're embarrassing me."

R- "That's how you know its true love! Have you been out on a date?"

B- "We aren't together; he probably doesn't even feel the same way, so I hope that answers your question. Now please, don't go and give me your limitless knowledge of relationships."

R- "Well first, you need to make sure that he's loyal to you, okay?"

B- "Oh brother..."

R- "When I first hit on Shadow, I bypassed his exterior and looked deep inside of him."

B- "Please, shut up..."

R- "And then I saw that he needed somebody so I made a bigger move."

J- "Mummy, I think Blaze doesn't want you to talk to her."

R- "And when he finally got the messages, he made his move on me, but you don't say yes straight away or it makes you look really desperate."

.

Sh- "Right, new topic, you're going down to the labs first thing?"

Si- "Well yeah, unless we're told otherwise."

Sh- "Just tell me if you're getting tired of that place, I'll pull some strings."

Si- "Thanks, I guess, but I would need to speak with Blaze first."

Ax- "Daddy, I wanna see you shoot a bad guy!"

Sh- "I don't shoot people anymore Axel, I gave that up."

Ax- "Aww..."

Si- "I'm sure you can take him to the shooting range, or the training rooms, right?"

Ax- "Yeah!"

Sh- "We'll see."

Shadow pulled into the car park with Rouge moments behind him, and drove up to the entrance where they had managed to maintain ownership of their private spaces.

Sh- "Axel, stay close and don't wander off. This is the last place I want you to go missing at."

Both doors on each car opened, and the six approached the entrance, staying in their small group. Shadow noticed Blaze looking sheepish and trying to avoid eye contact with everyone. He moved closer to Rouge and whispered into her ear.

Sh- "What did you say to her?"

R- "I just gave her some pointers, that's all hon, after all, who better to tell her than me?"

Sh- "Someone who is in a progressing relationship perhaps..."

R- "Hey!"

The group arrived at the security gates, and were getting ready to go through in single file, starting with the kids.

L- "Agent Shadow! Nice to see you this morning sir."

Sh- "Yes, you too Larry. It's okay if we have two guests with us today, right?"

The guard looked at Blaze and Silver who were behind him, confused at Shadow's request.

L- "Sir? They have identification, of course they're allowed in."

Sh- "Not them... Them."

Shadow hinted down to the ground, and Larry stood up from his chair and peered over the desk, now noticing the two children.

L- "They don't seem dangerous, so of course they can enter. Who are these two supposed to be anyway?"

Sh- "This is Axel and Jade."

L- "Oh really? So you two are the infamous kids of HQ's finest then?"

Ax- "Damn right."

R- "Axel!"

L- "Haha, I can see the resemblance already, go ahead and enjoy your day."

Sh- "Thank you."

Larry waved at the children as they passed through the gates and waited on the other side for their parents. Once everyone had passed through, they advanced to the lobby, where they met another two familiar faces.

Ax & J- "Auntie Topaz!"

The kids ran at Topaz who was sitting with a cup of coffee at a table, noticing two little blurs heading straight for her.

T- "What are you two doing here?"

J- "Daddy is showing us around!"

Ax- "This place is awesome!"

T- "Oh you think so do you? Have you met anyone so far then?"

J- "We've met Larry, he was very nice."

Rouge approached the table which Topaz was beside, and sat on the other side, picking up Axel and putting him on her knee.

R- "Good morning T, any assignments today?"

T- "Not today no. Shadow's not holding back on me is he?"

R- "He hasn't been getting much in recently so don't worry, it's not just you."

Topaz looked over to see Shadow, Silver and Blaze talking to the other face that Shadow recognized upon entry, Omega.

T- "Speaking of Shadow... I still don't see a ring on your finger girl..."

R- "You're surprised by that?"

T- "Yes! Three years is too long for nothing to happen."

R- "I don't want to rush him T..."

T- "I think he's seeing somebody else..."

R- "Okay Topaz... Enough coffee for you today..."

Rouge took the cup from Topaz and drank the rest of it herself, a little bit annoyed at what Topaz thought about her and Shadow.

R- "Kids, you remember who else you wanted to meet today right?"

Ax- "No..."

J- "Omega?"

Ax- "Oh yeah!"

R- "That's the one, maybe if you say his name a little bit louder he'll appear like magic."

The twins both looked at Rouge, and Axel shouted as loud as he could, hoping it was enough for his request to be heard.

Ax- "OMEGA!"

Topaz smiled at how clueless the kids were, as Omega began to slowly walk over to them, with big booming steps. When he got a little bit closer, Jade's ears caught on to the abnormal noise, and looked around to the death machine towering over her.

J- "Wooow..."

Axel then looked around to what his sister was looking at, also noticing Omega standing there.

Ax- "Cool!"

Axel jumped from his mother's knee onto Omega, and started climbing up him, reaching the top of his back. Jade hovered up to eye level with him, but his head spun around instantly to observe Axel, who was now on his back.

O- "Remove yourself immediately, or face annihilation."

R- "Omega, these are mine and Shadow's children. Say hello to them."

O- "Understood. Greetings, offspring of Agent Shadow and Agent Rouge."

R- "Their names should be in your memory log somewhere Omega, have a quick scan through."

O- "Affirmative, White hedgehog identified as Axel. Small bat identified as Jade."

R- "Correct, and please, don't annihilate them, Shadow wouldn't be too pleased."

Ax- "You don't look very strong."

J- "Axel, don't make him sad."

O- "I don't feel emotions such as sadness, little one."

R- "Believe me kids, there is enough firepower in him to take down this building and turn it all to dust."

Ax- "I don't believe you mummy."

O- "This child sounds like he is challenging me."

Topaz leant over to Rouge, keeping her voice down so the kids wouldn't hear.

T- "So Axel is becoming more like his father every day then?"

R- "Well he's almost mastered Chaos Control, and the two of them teamed up and managed to take Shadow down."

T- "Was Shadow just playing with them?"

R- "He was playing, yeah, but when it comes to a competition, Shadow will never give his opponent victory, they took him down and gave him battle scars to go with it."

T- "Do you want him to turn out the same way Shadow did then?"

R- "What do you mean? An agent?"

T- "No... An asshole."

R- "Topaz, that's my child, and my boyfriend you're talking about. You are dangerously close to stepping over the line, you got that?"

T- "Well maybe if I had something to do, I wouldn't be sitting here moping about."

O- "Please refrain from touching that."

Axel had found the panel on Omega's back which Shadow would use to reboot or repair him, and it was currently wide open, which wasn't very safe.

R- "Axel sweetie, close that and get down from there please."

Axel didn't listen, and started to take a closer look at some of the buttons inside.

R- "Axel..."

He then started pulling wires out from the panel and pressing some of the buttons.

R- "Shadow! He's destroying Omega!"

Shadow looked over, witnessing Axel try to tear Omega down part for part. He raised an arm, which had a Chaos Emerald tightly gripped in his arm, and was about to make his move.

Si- "I've got this."

Silver raised his own hand, which started to glow, as Axel was pulled away from Omega and brought over to where Shadow and Silver were standing. Shadow looked down at Axel, who was now sat on the floor looking up, with his lip quivering and his eyes welling up with tears.

Sh- "It's okay Axel... You aren't in trouble."

Shadow picked him up and held him over his shoulder, giving him a pat on the back to try and console him. Rouge shook her head from across the room, disagreeing with Shadow's reaction, believing that Axel should have been punished.

Sh- "Axel, you can't do that to Omega okay? If he gets damaged, I have to repair him and that will mean I spend less time with you and your sister, do you understand?"

Axel's head was deep into Shadow's shoulder, so his response was more of a noise than a word.

Ax- "Mmhmm..."

Sh- "Silver and Blaze are going to the labs now, so would you like to say goodbye to them?"

Ax- "No..."

Sh- "Ax..."

Si- "Just leave him Shadow; I'm sure we'll see him soon anyway."

B- "Bye Axel!"

Blaze and Silver walked further into the lobby where Rouge and Topaz were still sat. Rouge wasn't sat for long however, as she saw this as a perfect opportunity to get a few words in with the new couple. Rouge followed the two and put an arm around each of their shoulders, slotting between them and walking with them to the labs. Shadow carried Axel over to where Topaz was sat, and where Omega was trying to assess what damage he had taken.

T- "Does this cutie belong to you Shadz?"

Topaz looked down at Jade, who was asleep while resting against Topaz's handbag.

Sh- "Cuteness is the biggest deception of all... Hold him for a second will you?"

Shadow handed Axel over, and got to work with rewiring Omega, also inputting codes to overwrite the commands initiated by Axel's manic button pressing.

T- "What's wrong with him? Why's he crying when he didn't even get told off?"

Sh- "He does that when he doesn't get what he wants... That's why it's a nightmare trying to play games with them."

Topaz looked down at Jade, who was still sleeping, most likely due to her nightmare earlier in the morning which broke her usual sleeping pattern.

T- "You've done quite well you know."

Shadow was still busy at work with Omega, trying to get him back up to scratch.

Sh- "Hmm?"

T- "With the kids. I didn't expect you to be that bothered about them."

Sh- "I have to be. Somebody taught me a few years ago to never let go of those close to you."

T- "They knew what they were talking about. What are you going to show them today?"

Sh- "Just a tour, then hopefully they will be out of energy."

T- "And if they aren't?"

Sh- "If that is the case, I will probably take them to the armoury, or the training rooms."

Axel perked up when he heard the word "armoury", quickly identifying that as the place where all of the weapons were stored. Shadow closed Omega's maintenance panel, and patted one of his shoulder pads, letting him know it was safe to leave now.

O- "Thank you Agent Shadow, system now back at 100%."

Sh- "No worries Omega, and I apologise on Axel's behalf, he'll be more careful on your next encounter, I promise."

Omega left to continue his duties, and Shadow turned back around to the kids.

Sh- "Come on you two."

Jade started to wake up, and Topaz put Axel down, both now looking up at Shadow who was standing with his arms crossed, waiting.

J- "Where did mummy go?"

Sh- "She's went with Silver and Blaze to the labs, I'll take you through later."

Shadow gestured with his hand for the kids to follow him, and they did, staying close behind him while looking at everything around them.

Ax- "Where do you work daddy?"

Sh- "In all of the departments Axel, unless you're asking if I have an office. Were you?"

Ax- "Yeah."

Sh- "I guess you could see it that way, yes, I have an office. I'll take you there as well if you want."

Shadow led the children down the sunlit hallways, as the ceilings had been fitted with glass panels to save money during the daytime. He was about to step around a corner to head to his office, but an unexpected interruption had created a delay.

"Well, well... Good morning Shadow, or do I call you sir now? My, you have come a long way haven't you?"

Sh- "Doctor..."

Jade and Axel looked up at the large figure in front of them who had stopped their journey, and both twins had a different reaction. Jade hid behind Shadow's leg, peering around at the doctor, while Axel stood in front of Shadow, warning him off with an aggressive stance.

Dr- "And who would these two happen to be? This little brat looks like he wants to start a fight."

Sh- "Axel, step down, he always has a trick or two up his sleeve."

Dr- "Axel huh? White hedgehog with elevated quills like your own, and a white bat with thin red stripes travelling up her arms... Well this doesn't take a genius to figure out."

Sh- "Is there anything that you want? I'm on a tight schedule."

Dr- "Shadow... I want many things. For starters, the Chaos Emerald you took from me oh so long ago."

Sh- "Like that will happen."

Dr- "But never mind me, am I correct in assuming that these are yours?"

Sh- "Yes..."

Dr- "How Rouge was able to talk you into something like this is beyond me, unless maybe it was unexpected..."

Sh- "That is none of your business."

Dr- "Oh, so it's true?"

The doctor looked down at Axel, with an evil grin as usual, obviously plotting as he stood before them.

Dr- "I didn't think the Ultimate Life-Form was one to have accidents, but then again you switched to the losing team, so obviously my grandfather failed on quite a large scale."

Shadow looked calm, but inside, he wanted nothing more than to tear his head off right now.

Sh- "I think you should get back to work doctor."

Axel started to growl at the doctor, standing up for his father if he wouldn't do it himself.

Dr- "Now, now... Shadow, you might want to put this bastard on a leash before he gets hurt."

The word itself, Shadow didn't mind, but in the context in which it was used, to insult the children through their parents, that was his limit. Shadow reached up and grabbed the doctor by his collar, and swung him around into a marble wall, cracking it upon impact. Shadow got closer to him, and whispered into his ear.

Sh- "One more comment from you, and you will regret ever showing your face again, do you understand?"

Dr- "Oh Shadow... How you've changed."

Sh- "And how you haven't. You will never change. You will remain an untrustworthy cretin in my eyes, and don't you dare speak to me, Rouge, or my children again."

Shadow let go of him and continued on, with Jade now staying in front of him and Axel behind, rarely taking his eyes off the doctor.

J- "Daddy, who was that man?"

Sh- "He isn't worth wasting your breath on, Jade. Forget about him."

J- "Why did you hurt him?"

Sh- "I want to do much more than hurt him, the only reason I won't is for Silver and Blaze's sake. Axel, pick up the pace."

Shadow was trying not to vent his frustration on the kids, but he hadn't felt anger similar to this for years. They approached an opaque glass room, with a door that required advanced authorisation. Shadow scanned his card through a panel beside the door, ready to show the kids where he and Rouge shared an office.

"Please say vocalised password."

Sh- "Maria."

"Processing... Welcome Agent Shadow. Last entry, 63 hours ago by Agent Rouge."

Shadow and Rouge may share an office, but their passwords remained separate, both using something that they will remember easily. Shadow led the twins in, and sat down at his desk, as the kids explored the large office.

Sh- "Don't touch anything without asking me first, some of the things in here are either dangerous or took a really long time to sort."

Since Shadow was sat behind his desk, the kids could only be seen if they either walked around or explored further away, and to Shadow's left, a tall stack of papers began to topple over.

Ax- "Oops..."

Shadow just closed his eyes and held his forehead, already regretting letting them in.

J- "Who is this daddy?"

Shadow looked up and to his right, where Jade was hovering near a shelf, looking at some of the things that kept Shadow and Rouge motivated. Jade was looking at a photo that was taken a few years ago, where Shadow must have been forcing a smile.

J- "This white hedgehog. She looks like Axel."

Sh- "Come down from there Jade..."

J- "Why?"

Sh- "Don't question me, just do it."

Jade descended and sat on the desk, looking at her father who was still in a bad mood from earlier. Shadow's new pager started to beep (Since his last one was destroyed by Rouge) with a message from the labs, asking him to make a visit and give his opinion on something that they had discovered.

Sh- "Kids, we're gonna go ahead and move on through to the labs."

Ax- "But what about the other places daddy?"

Sh- "We can still visit them later Axel..."

Ax- "But I wanna go now!"

Sh- "I'm not going to keep your mother, Silver, and Blaze waiting just so you can wreak havoc."

When Axel heard that Blaze would be there, he changed his mind and was now eager to go to the labs, as he ran over to the door waiting for the other two to join him. Shadow stood up and Jade hovered alongside him as he headed for his door. The door could be unlocked from inside without the use of the key card or voice recognition, and as soon as Shadow opened it, Axel ran out, wanting to get on with their tour pronto.

Sh- "Slow down Axel, you don't even know where the labs are..."

Axel realised this and stopped, then looked to his left and right, looking for a sign.

Sh- "Turn right..."

Axel ran off to the right, and stopped at the end of the corridor where yet again he was faced with a choice of two directions.

Sh- "Right again..."

Shadow and Jade caught up to Axel, who was now back in the main lobby, and was gathering quite a lot of attention from some of G.U.N's employees.

"He's so cute!"

"Aww!"

Sh- "Axel. Come."

Unlike Shadow, Axel loved being the centre of attention, receiving strokes and scratches behind the ears from the agents and other workers who were in awe.

Sh- "Axel!"

Axel opened his eyes and looked at his father with a different face to what he was displaying just moments ago, now showing displeasure as everyone had stopped to look at Shadow.

Sh- "Quickly, this could be important."

Shadow decided to use a trick that Rouge had taught him, to try and expand on his knowledge of parenting. He walked away to the elevators with Jade closely following, now ignoring Axel completely, making him feel forgotten.

Ax- "Daddy!"

Axel ran after his father and sister, who had both entered one of the open elevators. He was out of breath when he caught up, and Shadow looked down at him disapprovingly, as he pressed a button to close the doors and then allow the lift to descend slowly.

Sh- "I told you before we arrived to listen to me and do exactly as I said."

Ax- "Sorry..."

Sh- "You may like the attention that they give you, but sooner or later, you'll realise that life is not a popularity contest."

Jade remained quiet, not wanting to get on her father's bad side, which was clearly evident since the doctor had made an appearance. The elevator came to a stop, and the doors opened, revealing another security checkpoint similar to the one at the entrance. This one however, had a large titanium door instead of a simple metal detector, and two guards operating computers behind thick bulletproof glass in a small office to the side. Shadow approached the window, and tapped on the glass, scaring both of the guards who were busy working.

"Agent Shadow, we weren't expecting anyone else to come down here."

Sh- "I've just been paged requesting me to come down and give my opinion on something, can you let us through?"

"Us?"

The guard stood up and noticed the children both now at Shadow's feet, as Jade had tired herself out from flying continuously.

"Ah, will they be okay in there?"

Sh- "I'm sure they'll be fine."

The guard sat back down and started typing again, unlocking the door which slowly swung open, as yellow warning lights flashed, and a small klaxon sounded to warn anyone behind the door to move. Shadow walked ahead while the twins just stood back and watched, not sure about what was inside of the room ahead. He looked over his shoulder, noticing that he was carrying on alone.

Sh- "There's nothing to worry about. There aren't any dangerous experiments happening today, and the scientists here can prevent anything bad from happening anyway, it's their job."

Jade had rested long enough, and took flight again, ascending up to Shadow's shoulder height, while Axel slowly crept into the room, expecting something to jump out at him. Shadow looked down to his pager which was under a part of his glove, and pressed a button on it, showing the locations of Rouge, Blaze, and Silver, due to the links between their pagers. He then progressed through the labs, and arrived at a room which required his key card, which he provided, and the door slid open. Rouge, Blaze, and Silver, were all looking through a glass wall, at two scientists who were studying an artefact which was recently discovered by one of the teams out on the field.

Sh- "What's going on?"

R- "Don't know, but they want you in there now."

The kids were happy to hear their mother's voice, and both ran and flown towards her, each giving her a hug.

R- "I missed you too!"

Shadow pushed another door open and joined the scientists in the testing room, who looked relieved at his arrival.

B- "Something doesn't seem right about it..."

"Agent Shadow, please, come take a look at this."

Sh- "What is it?"

"It's a sceptre of some sort."

Sh- "When and where was it found?"

"A few weeks ago during a reconnaissance mission in a city named Soleanna."

Sh- "So what is the problem with it?"

"As I'm sure you can see... It's glowing."

Shadow inspected the sceptre, which did indeed have a dark purple glow emanating from it.

Sh- "Well I can confirm that, yes."

"It wasn't until this morning."

Sh- "Was it being tested on?"

"It was in storage, untouched since the day it was brought back here. We need to know if you can feel any Chaos energy irradiating from it, to know if it is safe or not. We didn't detect any radiation."

Shadow took another step towards the table where the sceptre lay, taking in the details of the craftsmanship of the design. He waved his hand over it, trying to feel what type of power that the artefact was emitting, if any at all.

Sh- "Yes... I feel faint traces of Chaos energy... But not strong enough to be classed as dangerous, but enough to do some damage if it fell into the wrong hands."

"What do you suggest?"

Sh- "Keep it observed at all times for now and alert me of any changes. Until it reforms back to its previous state, we can't take the risk."

Shadow turned around and left, rejoining the others who were still observing the artefact.

B- "It looks... So sinister..."

R- "Think it's one of Eggman's gadgets?"

Sh- "No... It's old, very old. Far beyond the doctor, most likely centuries ago."

The twins were both currently in the arms of Silver and Blaze, who for some reason enjoyed providing them with attention.

Sh- "Kids, we should probably leave, it isn't safe down here."

Ax- "But you said it was!"

Sh- "I know, but this... I felt something strange when I walked in there, like I could remember seeing it somewhere before."

Si- "A dream, perhaps?"

Sh- "No, I mean something more like a second encounter. I could swear that I heard whispers too..."

R- "You heard your father, come on you two, we'll see if there's any ice cream or sweets back in the lobby that you can have."

Both children wriggled out of Silver and Blaze's grasp, and took their mother's hand, who giggled at how easy it was to please them.

B- "We'll stay down here and observe this for a while. If we don't get back to you we'll catch up tomorrow."

J- "Can we come back tomorrow too daddy?"

Sh- "No Jade, another time perhaps. Tomorrow your mother and I have an assignment to carry out."

Ax- "Ooh! I wanna go!"

R- "Sorry Axel, it's too dangerous. Now wave goodbye to Blaze and Silver."

The kids both gave a heartful wave, and Silver and Blaze happily returned the gesture, before refocusing their attention on the artefact. Shadow led his family out of the labs, and then out of the building.

Sh- "Axel, you're coming with me on the way back. We need a talk."

They split into two pairs, as Shadow helped Axel into the passenger seat of his car and clicked his belt into place. He went around to his own side and joined Axel in the car, and he left Rouge and Jade a few seconds behind him as he reversed out of his space and on to the road.

Sh- "I understand that you were just trying to help earlier, but that man, he will use everything at his disposal to get what he wants."

Axel just looked at his feet, as he usually does when he gets into trouble.

Sh- "I'm proud of you Axel..."

His face changed, and he looked up at Shadow who was still focusing on the road.

Ax- "You are?"

Sh- "I am. But don't try to get into a fight with him, it won't end well."

Ax- "But you-"

Sh- "I wasn't thinking when I attacked him. He used you to get through to me, and I couldn't just accept that."

Shadow took his eyes away from the road and looked at his son.

Sh- "I'll say one thing though, you're better than me at controlling your anger."

Shadow ruffled Axel's fur, proving to him that what he was saying was the truth.

Sh- "Oh, and if you tell your mother that I'm being soft on you, you're in trouble."

Ax- "I won't."

Sh- "Good."

Blaze and Silver had left the labs, and used this free time to their advantage. While they were alone together, Blaze decided that they would go out to a restaurant for a private meal, but of course, this wasn't exactly their own idea, as Rouge had talked them through pretty much every method to improve their relationship earlier on in the day when she abandoned Shadow with the burden of looking after the kids. Once Shadow had arrived back home and parked his car in the garage, he let Axel out, who followed the usual routine of removing his shoes at the front door, and ran into the living room afterwards to annoy his dad.

Ax- "Let's play a game!"

Sh- "We played for hours yesterday... How much attention do you really need?"

Ax- "Daaaaad."

Sh- "Wait for your sister to return, then you can play."

Ax- "I'll tell mummy your secret."

Shadow looked down at Axel from the couch, who had a devilish grin spread across his face.

Sh- "You wouldn't dare."

The front door was unlocked and opened, as the other two had just arrived, and Jade was also following the same routine. Axel decided he would play a different game, just to get what he wanted.

Ax- "Mummmmyyy!"

Sh- "Don't do it Axel..."

Rouge joined the boys in the living room, and sat beside Shadow, cuddling in to him.

Ax- "Muuuum..."

R- "Yes dear?"

Axel lifted his arms up, indicating that he wanted a hug, and Rouge fell for it, by picking him up and placing him down between them.

Ax- "Daddy was weird in the car..."

Sh- "Axel, that's enough."

R- "Weird? How was he being weird?"

Sh- "I was just telling him about when I first met you. I don't see what's so weird about that."

Ax- "No yo-"

Sh- "You wanted to play a game right Axel? Come on, I'll give some options in your room."

Axel had won, and he jumped down and headed for his room, taking Jade with him who was clueless to what was going on.

R- "What's that all about?"

Sh- "It's nothing... Hold on a sec."

Shadow stood up, meaning Rouge had to sit up so she didn't fall over now that her support had moved. As Shadow left the room, he started grumbling to himself, annoyed, beaten by a two year old, again. He entered the kids' bedroom, where they were both sat on the carpet, laughing when they saw him.

Sh- "I thought we had a deal Axel?"

Ax- "But we're bored!"

Sh- "Hmph..."

Shadow approached the two and picked Jade up, then turned around and left the room. He closed the door on his way out and locked it from the outside, Axel now a prisoner in his own room.

Sh- "I'll let you out in an hour."

J- "Is this a game daddy?"

Sh- "Yes Jade..."

J- "I've never played this game before..."

Shadow returned to the living room with Jade still in his arms, to reacquaint himself with Rouge. When he was just outside however, he heard Axel's voice clearly coming from inside where Rouge was.

Ax- "And then! Daddy stroked me and said he was proud of me! And he told me not to tell you he was being soft on me!"

Sh- "Axel!"

R- "Shadow... Why did our son just Chaos Control here and tell me that you've been soft on him?"

Sh- "Because he can't keep his little mouth shut it would seem..."

Axel stuck his tongue out, and Shadow approached him while letting Jade down out of his arms. Rouge then cradled Axel and held him away from Shadow and out of his view.

R- "Ah ah ah! You're not going to punish him for doing the right thing!"

Ax- "Daddy locked me in our room."

R- "Shadow!"

Sh- "What? Listen to him! What did I do to deserve this act of betrayal?! I told him that I was proud of him, and this is how he thanks me!"

Rouge gripped Axel tighter than before; worried that Shadow would tell him off again, as Axel buried his face into Rouge.

R- "It's okay dear, daddy's not gonna be mean to you."

.

It was still nowhere near Shadow and Rouge's usual time where they would call it a night, but the kids were getting sleepy since in the end, Shadow was forced to play with them, as he himself would be punished by Rouge if he didn't.

R- "Do you want mummy to put you to bed?"

Ax- "Noooo."

R- "What if I were to tell you that when you wake up, uncle Sonic will be babysitting you while we're at work?"

Ax- "Nooooo! I want Blaze!"

R- "Blaze is working too Axel... Jade..?"

J- "Yes mama?"

R- "Are you going to bed now?"

J- "Yes mama."

Shadow was resting on the couch, after an exhausting session of playing, while Rouge was sitting on the rug with the kids.

R- "Good girl, if you keep this behaviour up we might have to get you a present."

J- "You don't have to..."

Ax- "I want a present!"

R- "Oh Jade, as modest as ever... Axel, little boys don't get rewarded for staying up late do they?"

Rouge stood up from the rug and sat back down on the couch beside Shadow.

R- "Now, go and get ready for bed and lights out in fifteen. I'll know if you break curfew."

Both twins left the living room for different purposes. Jade, to keep a solid reputation with her parents, and Axel, who simply just wanted a present.

Sh- "How did you get them to listen without raising your voice?"

R- "I'm persuasive..."

Sh- "Is that so? Then persuade me not to do this..."

Shadow picked Rouge up and tossed her over his shoulder, and began to walk out of the room.

R- "Shadow! Put me down!"

Sh- "Hmm... I'm not convinced."

Shadow opened the door to their room, and approached the bed, where he threw Rouge down, who looked defeated already.

Sh- "There's your first wish."

He gently pushed Rouge down, and joined her, displaying his dominance.

R- "Shadow... The kids..."

Sh- "Won't suspect a thing... I doubt they'll see or hear us."

R- "If you're sure..."

Rouge submitted, and put her arms around him, awaiting the ecstasy that only Shadow could provide.


	4. Chapter 4 - A Dark Awakening

Chapter 4 - A dark awakening

(A/N) - Early update this week, sort of hit a wall and haven't done any writing in ages. The chapters will keep rolling out until at least Chapter 7, as I'm nearly at the end of Chapter 8. With any luck I'll hopefully get back into it and start writing again some time soon.

"What the-"

"It's... It's alive?"

The sceptre was snapped in two, and both shards were thrown at dangerous speeds, impaling both of the scientists with fatal precision. The figure approached the two bodies, and stepped in the large pool of blood that was situating between them.

"Rebirth... My vengeance is soon at hand..."

Lustrous magenta eyes with eerie lime green pupils stared down at his hands, acknowledging whose form he had taken, and who his next target was. He was in the labs within G.U.N HQ, in the observation room, which had the one way mirror, where people could watch whatever was occurring within. The figure took a step closer to the mirror, and raised his head, exposing elevated quills, with bold grey tints to them. Anger was all that was shown, and he smashed his way through the mirror with a ferocious punch. Before the mirror had broken however, one person had recognised the figure...

"Shadow!"

Rouge sat upright, and looked around, sweating at what was just going through her mind. She was in their bedroom, where Shadow was starting to wake up in no hurry. She must have shouted outside of her sleep.

Sh- "Hmm..? You okay Rouge?"

R- "I... I had a nightmare..."

Sh- "I see."

Shadow pulled Rouge back down, so she was on the same level as him.

Sh- "It's over now, just forget about it..."

R- "I'm sorry... I... I'll go and check on the kids."

Sh- "It's okay, I know the feeling, take your mind off of it if you can, it helps."

Rouge shakily stood up, and put an arm around the open door to the en-suite, unhooking a robe from the door. She swung it around and fastened the belt, as she tiptoed out of the room. Rouge was hoping that she didn't wake the kids up as well as Shadow, and silently opened their door and stepped in. To her relief, they were both fast asleep, and it was evident that Axel was having a nicer dream than Rouge did, as he was reaching up to the sky and rolling around. She gave them a soft kiss each, then returned to Shadow, who had already settled back down.

R- "Shadz..."

He didn't reply, so she walked over to his side of the bed and gave him a shake.

R- "Hey, babe..."

Sh- "Hmm..?"

R- "I'm gonna stay up until Sonic arrives..."

Sh- "Will you be okay for work in the morning then? I can do the assignment by myself if you need some time."

R- "No, I'll be there for you... You'll only get yourself into a situation if you follow your own methods..."

Sh- "Well do you need anything now? I can make you something to drink if you want..."

R- "I'm fine Shadz, I'll just go watch a romcom or something."

Sh- "Okay, if you're sure."

Shadow rested his head back down, and closed his eyes, but Rouge wasn't finished yet.

R- "Shadow..."

Sh- "Yes?"

R- "Thank you."

Sh- "What for?"

R- "Just for being there, that's all..."

Sh- "I'll always be here for you, that's what you said to me, remember?"

Rouge smiled, then left Shadow alone, believing it is unfair to keep disturbing him. Shadow fell asleep swiftly, and for the next four hours, he remained asleep, and Rouge had managed to stay awake, long enough to hear the expected faint knock on the door. Rouge got up and stretched, having not moved for at least two hours, and answered the door to greet the babysitter.

So- "Gooood morning Rougey."

R- "Morning... Thanks for coming, I need someone to keep me from falling asleep."

So- "Your relationship isn't that bad is it?"

R- "No! We're fine. Great even!"

Sonic stepped in, and headed for the living room, to be greeted by a mess, that of which could have been the equivalent of a bomb going off.

So- "Woah... Shadow needs to hire a cleaner..."

R- "Sorry... I've been up the past few hours, I had a nightmare and can't get back to sleep."

The large couch had a spare duvet from upstairs spread out across it, and a tub of ice-cream balancing on it.

So- "You're not expecting another one are you?"

R- "No... I'm just a bit stressed, and comfort eating doesn't seem to be helping one bit. It makes it worse if I'm honest."

Rouge cleared away some of the clutter, providing him with somewhere to sit.

R- "Can I get you anything?"

So- "I'm good, where's Shadz?"

R- "Sleeping. Oh! And speaking of sleeping... Guess who Shadow caught sharing the sheets..."

So- "Who?"

Sh- "Rouge!"

Rouge jumped, as Shadow was stood behind her with his arms crossed, and was in a foul mood.

So- "Hey bud! Sup?"

Sh- "That's what I want to find out. Rouge, our assignment is cancelled, there's something happening at HQ that they need me for, I'll be back when I'm done."

R- "Wait!"

Shadow had already warped out of the room, and from that, they both knew that it was an emergency.

So- "Well, guess the kids don't get to spend any time with their favourite idol."

R- "I'm sure they would still love to see you."

Shadow approached the building, which had reporters and camera crews swarming the entrance. Among the crowds, he noticed that most of the glass panels at the front of the building had been smashed, with glass being swept away by some of the janitorial staff.

"Look! Here he is!"

A few of the reporters approached Shadow, who did not need this right now... At all.

"Shadow, can you tell us anything about what happened last night?"

Sh- "I am unaware of the current situation myself, now if I may conti-"

"Were you informed of the casualties of some of the scientists?"

Sh- "Like I said, I am unaware of the current situation, and it would help if you all move so I can find out exactly what happened."

"Do you believe it when people are saying that if G.U.N was under someone else's command other than your own, this crisis could have been averted?"

Sh- "No comment..."

"Should people be taking safety measures such as an evacuation of the area?"

Sh- "Enough!"

Shadow stared down anyone who dared to point another camera or microphone at him.

Sh- "I will answer any questions within the hour. Until then, do not get involved with what is happening here, got it?"

He pushed through the now silent crowd, and stepped through the automatic doors, since the glass was smashed and they had been switched off. Armed units were stationed throughout the building, up until the point where he reached the elevator, which had tape outside of it, cutting off access to it.

"Sorry sir, the wires have been cut, and until the other team returns, we're not going down there."

Shadow eyed the soldier up and down, disappointed in his cowardice.

Sh- "Give me that."

Shadow hinted at the assault rifle in the soldier's arms, as he passed it over to him no questions asked.

Sh- "Thank you, tell somebody to get into contact with all of the allies we have left, we need this place up and running ASAP."

"Sir, what about the reputation of the organisation?"

Shadow was again about to flip, stupid questions one after another...

Sh- "Reputation? I don't know if you've seen, but this place is near enough destroyed. Don't you think our reputation hasn't already dropped on a massive scale?"

"Well yes, sir, but-"

Sh- "You're dismissed, relay my message to whatever is left of the comms department."

Shadow disappeared, reappearing on the lowest floor, the labs. Shadow rested the gun against his shoulder, as he began to walk through the short hallway, lights flickering as he progressed. The same titanium door that he had passed through yesterday, had suffered from what seemed to be the result of an explosion, as the metal had melted, and bent the shards of door that remained. Further down the hallway, he entered a door to his right, where the sceptre was being held yesterday. Upon entry, a squad of four all pointed their weapons at Shadow, but were lowered by their leader's signal.

"Sir, it's about time we had some good news."

Sh- "What's the situation?"

"Well... As you can see..."

Two scientists were being zipped up in body bags by an investigation team, and the area was being examined for any evidence.

"We don't know who it was, or why they did it for that matter."

Shadow noticed the sceptre split in two halves, with blood decorating both pieces.

Sh- "The scientists..."

"They were killed by those, yeah..."

Sh- "That's what this is all about then."

Shadow noticed that the shards of the sceptre had no colour in them at all, except grey.

Sh- "They were observing this artefact, as something strange had happened, and it started glowing."

"You're saying a mere object killed two men, blasted its way through one of the most secure vault doors ever made, disabled the elevator, and blew out almost all windows in the lobby?"

Sh- "Not necessarily the object itself, but perhaps someone... Someone who wanted this object destroyed. Do we have any CCTV footage?"

"None, all systems were taken offline."

Sh- "Hmm... Any word from Omega, Blaze, or Silver?"

"Negative sir, but they weren't involved in this, we would know by now if something happened to them."

Shadow turned around, to see the observation room had been breached, with the window shattered into hundreds of little crystals. One of the crystals however, was different to the others. This one in particular, had the same glow as the sceptre did yesterday, and the shard itself was a mix of two colours. The tip was a pastel light blue, and a much darker blue at it's base.

Sh- "Do we have CCTV of the buildings nearby? That could possibly have caught the intruder entering the building?"

"The recon team did their best with what they had, and they can't find any footage of anybody entering the building last night."

Sh- "So Chaos Control could be a part of this?"

"It's possible, but unlikely. Why would they leave out of the front door and risk getting caught?"

Sh- "Because this person, was sending a message."

"What could they want that we have?"

Shadow was in a near state of panic, if his theory was true, then what they are up against is not a force to be reckoned with.

Sh- "Wait here, I'll be back to relay further instructions soon."

"Where are you going?"

Shadow materialized outside of his office, where the glass was intact, but the door had been taken off of its hinges completely. Papers were scattered all across the floor, making Axel's earlier mishaps look far inferior. At the back of his office, Rouge had hung up a large photo of the family, outside of their home, which Shadow was about to regret ever appearing in. A large tear made its way down the photo, and the contents behind it had already been stolen. Through the gap in the image, a small safe had its door torn off, and an empty slot where a Chaos Emerald would usually sit, but not this time.

Sh- "Damn it..."

Shadow had to be quick, so he returned to the squad in the labs, ready to give his orders that would try to get him out of this situation.

Sh- "They've taken a Chaos Emerald, whoever it is knows what they're doing."

"What could they do with just one though?"

Sh- "Access to one can find the rest if it is in the wrong hands..."

"Could it be someone from inside of the organisation? Only one of us would know the building inside and out."

Sh- "We can't jump to any conclusions just yet. We'll just have to endure... For all we know, this could have been more than one person."

A voice emerged from the doorway, a cold voice that was familiar, and unwelcome.

"Or perhaps it was in fact one being, the will of the god Solaris..."

The squad again raised their forearms, but again dropped them upon recognition of the shady character.

"Perhaps I can be of assistance Shadow, that is, if you would be willing to work by my side again."


	5. Chapter 5 - The enemy of my enemy

Chapter 5 - The enemy of my enemy...

Sh- "I thought I told you never to speak to me again, Doctor."

Dr- "Shadow, this is hardly the time to be bickering. Look around you. You want answers, and I can provide them."

Sh- "Did you do this?"

Dr- "It wouldn't be smart for me to stay here if it was me, would it? No... I am not the one responsible."

Sh- "You mentioned Solaris, what is that?"

Dr- "The god of the Sun... Who in my research, I found to be no longer existent, due to his will being separated from his power, creating two separate beings."

Sh- "So how can something be responsible for this if it doesn't exist?"

Dr- "I never claimed Solaris himself was responsible... I said his will, Mephiles, is the culprit."

Sh- "Mephiles?"

Shadow was leaning against a wall with his foot raised against it, with his arms crossed and eyes closed.

Dr- "Yes... He was created thirteen years ago, on an accident, which separated Solaris into two new beings. Mephiles and Iblis, two coexisting half-gods, one with a conscience, and one without."

Sh- "And where did this 'Mephiles' come from?"

Dr- "Right there."

The doctor pointed to the two halves of the sceptre, which were still lying on the ground.

Sh- "The sceptre? That's not possible."

Dr- "His form was destined when he was released from that prison, and now, he will want to fuse himself with Iblis, to regain his power."

Sh- "And how would he do that? And what form?"

Dr- "The Chaos Emeralds, all seven of them to be precise. He needs to control both space and time to fuse himself with Iblis, or it would fail regardless. His form will be that of the first shadow that he comes into contact with, but this place was most likely well lit before his rampage."

Sh- "He already has one emerald..."

Dr- "Then he need only obtain one more."

Sh- "One?"

Dr- "With two, the rest won't be a problem, and we need to stop him before he can find any more."

Sh- "Where is he now?"

Dr- "It is likely he is closing in on one as we speak, and I know the general location of where it will be."

Sh- "If you knew this, then why are you here and not looking for them yourself?"

The doctor still had not proven himself to be trustworthy, as this could all just be a ruse to ease Shadow away from a hidden truth.

Dr- "It has taken me two years to find even the slightest trace of this emerald. I'm not at my prime right now, and alone, I will be crushed."

Sh- "I've worked under you once before, and I don't plan on giving you the pleasure of having me at your command."

Dr- "Leave the past behind Shadow, this time, you will be working with me, not for me."

The doctor approached the shattered glass and picked up the coloured crystal left behind by Mephiles. Shadow would need the doctor's resources if he was to even put up a fight against this so called 'god', even if the concept went against everything that he stood for.

Sh- "This is only temporary, until we eliminate Mephiles, understood?"

The doctor held up the shard of Mephiles to the flickering lights, observing it closely.

Dr- "Crystal..."

Shadow kicked off of the wall, and walked out of the room before he made himself sick with the thoughts of his new partnership.

Dr- "I'll be in touch."

Sh- "I doubt that, this place won't require my presence for a while."

Dr- "Then the doctor is available to make home visits."

Sh- "You have no idea where I live, and you are not to visit my home under any circumstances, even if you did know."

Dr- "So protective... I must say though, there are some nice houses on that estate..."

Sh- "We may have a temporary allegiance, but that means nothing to me if you go anywhere near my children."

Shadow continued and headed for the elevator door, which was wide open. He jumped up the shaft from wall to wall, following the path that Mephiles must have taken to escape the labs. Upon reaching the top, the squad that Shadow had gave orders to had returned, and were still nervous about trying to access the labs.

"Sir!"

Sh- "The labs are clear, try to make a way out for those still down there, and at least two casualties..."

"The comms team has sent out a broadcast on all frequencies, they are getting replies as we speak."

Sh- "Good, there's nothing anyone can do until we're back up and running."

"Did you find out who is responsible?"

Sh- "Yes, but until I can confirm it myself, it isn't within my jurisdiction to make any claims."

"So what now sir?"

Sh- "Rotate the squads to watch the building day and night, try to repair and clean up as much as you can."

"Understood."

Shadow handed the assault rifle back to the soldier, and left the building in a bright flash, reappearing outside of his home.

Sh- "This will go down a treat..."

He ventured into the house through the front door, and noticed the living room light on, and took it upon himself to investigate. As he entered the room, Rouge looked around to him, not impressed with his appearance.

R- "What happened to you? You're all dusty!"

Rouge stood up from the rug where the twins were still sat, while Sonic had claimed one of the couches. Rouge began to dust Shadow down, and gave him a lengthy kiss when she had finished.

So- "Come on... There are kids present..."

Shadow broke it off and substituted for a hug instead, looking over her shoulder at the kids throughout. Thinking about what he was going to tell them, a tear almost managed to squeeze out, an event that didn't occur too frequently.

Sh- "Rouge... I..."

R- "What's wrong?"

Sh- "HQ was attacked last night..."

R- " What?!"

Sh- "That artefact from yesterday, it killed everyone in its path... The building is wrecked."

R- "But how?"

Shadow explained to Rouge and Sonic about how Mephiles had escaped, and what his plans were.

So- "How do you know all of this?"

Sh- "The doctor... We've made an agreement to take this guy down. He's trying to track down a Chaos Emerald before Mephiles can get his hands on it... But if he does get one..."

Rouge was speechless, surprised, angry, sympathetic, but none of these emotions would represent what she was about to say.

R- "Shadow, I can't let you do this..."

Sh- "This is non-negotiable. If I don't stop him, Mephiles will destroy this world without hesitation. I've done things like this before, it won't be too daunting."

R- "This is different! Shadow! You are a father now, and you can't do this alone! If you fall... What will happen to the children?!"

Sh- "Rouge... I won't be alone... I'll have the doctor... And Sonic, you too."

So- "Too right you will! Like I'd miss an opportunity to have some fun!"

Rouge was the one to start crying first, but only tears and no sobs. Shadow was soon to be the one exclaiming their pain, as Rouge slapped him as hard as she could.

R- "Please... Stop this..."

Sh- "Rouge... It's my life or everyone else's, I have to take this chance before it's too late."

This time, Rouge began thumping Shadow's chest, which he just stood by and took, understanding exactly what she must be feeling. The assault broke down, and so did she, burying her head into Shadow's shoulder, and the sobs had now arrived. By now, the kids had noticed what was going on, and approached their parents, not knowing that they were the cause of all of this drama.

J- "Momma? Why are you crying?"

Rouge looked down at both Jade and Axel, which made it worse, as she pictured in her mind how they would react to any bad news. She ran out of the living room, and locked herself in the master bedroom, losing it completely.

Ax- "Dad?"

Sh- "It's okay, your mother is just upset, that's all."

J- "I don't like seeing mummy upset..."

Sh- "Me neither Jade, me neither."

Ax- "Why is she upset?"

Shadow turned his head to look at Sonic, who nodded, letting Shadow know that it's okay to tell them.

Sh- "Kids, daddy has to do a special assignment, that only he can do, okay?"

J- "Assignment?"

Sh- "There is a very bad man out there, who is very dangerous, and I need to stop him."

Ax- "So?"

Sh- "Axel, this assignment is different than my usual ones. In this one, there is a good chance that I could fail."

J- "You won't fail daddy, and you could try again even if you did!"

Sh- "No Jade... It's best to tell you this now rather than have someone else tell you later. If I fail this assignment, daddy will have to go away, and he won't be able to see you again."

Ax- "Dad!"

J- "Where would you go daddy?!"

Shadow had to swallow his pride, and try to get the kids to understand without saying that forbidden word.

Sh- "I don't know Jade, but you'll be okay, do you understand?"

J- "I don't want you to leave daddy!"

Jade herself started crying, and gripped Shadow's leg, while Axel was still in shock. It wasn't easy for Sonic to take in either, as his life was also at risk if what Shadow had told him was true.

Sh- "I need you two to be strong okay? Your mother will take care of you if I fail, and you'll have Blaze and Silver, they'll stick around for as long as they can."

Shadow tried to target Axel with that comment about Blaze, but he wasn't interested. Jade let go of Shadow's leg, and was now showing anger towards him.

J- "I hate you!"

Jade ran out of the room like her mother, and went to her own room, mimicing what she had just seen herself, moments ago. Axel remained behind, and kept his composure, yet he understood fully what Shadow was saying.

Ax- "You won't die daddy, I know you won't. You're the strongest dad in the world!"

Sh- "Thank you, Axel."

Shadow picked him up, and took him over to the couch Sonic was sat at, and took his place beside him.

So- "When do we make our move?"

Sh- "As soon as the doctor contacts me. What are you watching?"

Shadow nodded his head at the TV, since Sonic had control of the remote for the time being.

So- "Just some catch-up on how Empire City has been doing recently."

Sh- "Pfft... Bad most likely."

So- "Axel, do you like football?"

Ax- "Yeah!"

So- "Oh really? We'll have to play sometime. What team do you support?"

Ax- "The Mets!"

Sh- "And why do we support the Mets?"

Ax- "Because Empire City sucks!"

Sh- "Attaboy Axel."

Sonic knew deep down somewhere that Shadow wasn't a perfect role model, and this was precisely why.

So- "Axel, you don't have to copy everything about your father..."

Sh- "Rouge supports the Mets too..."

So- "Right, and she told Axel that Empire sucks then?"

Sh- "She might have done."

So- "Like I believe that, Rouge doesn't even know the rules."

Shadow had taken Axel to a few of the games in the past, wanting Axel to resemble him in as many ways as he could. Rouge would usually take Jade out shopping whenever Shadow took Axel out, for the same overall motive. Recently however, work was becoming more time consuming, and the kids would usually get taken to the park by Amy, or out for food with Sonic.

So- "Looking after these little tykes all day really builds an appetite, you got anything in that I could have?"

Sh- "If you don't mind cooking, and no, I'm not doing it for you."

So- "Thanks, what a host you are."

Sh- "Look after him for a second will you? I'm gonna check on Jade."

Shadow stood up as Axel slid off his lap, and onto the couch. He walked out into the corridor, making a noise which hadn't gone unheard as his shoes clashed against the wooden floor. On his way to the twin's room, his own door opened, and a faint whisper called him.

R- "Shadow... Please, talk with me about this..."

Rouge only used his full name in a time of worry or sincerity, and he knew this well. She backed away from the door, and he pushed it open the rest of the way, and closed it behind him, now inside a dark room. He flicked the light switch on, and could see what damage his words had done. In the short time since her departure, almost a full box of tissues had been torn through, and dry mascara was now painted down her face.

R- "I... I've been thinking about this..."

Sh- "I'm not changing my mind, you know as well as I do, this isn't something that will just blow over."

R- "I know... And I want to help you."

Sh- "You can help me by looking after the kids while I'm gone."

R- "No! If there's a chance that you'll die, I want to be there, no, I have to be there for your final moments."

Rouge again began to cry slightly, and Shadow sat down beside her, handing her another tissue as he did so.

Sh- "You might get hurt, and think about where that would leave the kids."

Rouge snatched the tissue away from him, now annoyed but still almost grieving at the same time.

R- "Don't be hypocritical. I hate that about you."

Sh- "Well it's better than plain bursting out that you hate me, like our daughter just did."

R- "Jade?"

Sh- "I was on my way to see how she was doing, but you called me in."

R- "I'll sort her out soon, but please, I want to come with you."

Shadow closed his eyes and sighed, he couldn't win this battle, or the one in the future without her intervening.

Sh- "What would you tell the kids?"

R- "I'll think of something, like I'm going into work or something."

Sh- "And if they find out?"

R- "They won't..."

Sh- "So who can take them while we're gone?"

R- "Blaze and Silver... They'll be free what with HQ being closed..."

Sh- "Rouge... Just think about this one last time... Think if it is definitely the right thing to do."

Rouge had cheered up a bit, and turned Shadow's head slightly, giving him a quick kiss.

R- "You aren't doing this without me."

Sh- "If you're adamant about it, then I can't stop you can I? Hmph... Your daughter is probably still scared, you want to go check on her?"

R- "Okay..."

Shadow stood up, followed by Rouge, who kept a tight grip on his hand. Before Shadow opened the door, Rouge had one last thing to say to him in private.

R- "The doctor could call at any time, right?"

Sh- "Yeah, I guess, why?"

R- "Well... If this is as bad as you say... I think maybe we should be a little more... Intimate... Until the time comes. Don't you agree?"

Sh- "We have to monitor the kids more frequently if you want that to happen..."

R- "My eyes will only be on you hon."

Shadow opened the door and headed back to the living room, planning to tell Sonic about the change of plans. When he arrived, Sonic was trying to convert Axel into the foreign culture of Empire City, which would usually result in some violence between the two rivals.

So- "You see Axel, we've won more trophies than the Mets, and our stadium is much nicer."

Sh- "Am I interrupting?"

Sonic spun around, who had Axel held against his shoulder, who was looking quite tired.

Sh- "There's a new number in the equation, our squad just grew to four."

So- "Who's coming now?"

Shadow had to be careful in what he said, as Axel could probably catch on if he said Rouge.

Sh- "HQ's number two, you know, Topaz's partner in crime..."

So- "But what about the twi-"

Sh- "We're going to try and sort it out okay? Think first before you say anything..."

So- "Oh... Gotcha."

Sh- "You sleepy Ax?"

Ax- "Yes daddy..."

Sh- "Do you want to go to bed now? I'll tell you a story if you want."

Ax- "Why?"

Shadow wouldn't say it aloud, but he wanted to bind with the kids as much as he could before that time would come where he had to leave them.

Sh- "Because that's what parents do isn't it Axel? Don't you want to spend time with me?"

Ax- "Yeah... But..."

Sh- "Come here..."

Sonic handed him over, and followed Shadow to Axel's room, where Rouge had helped Jade change into her pyjamas. Jade noticed Shadow enter the room, and turned her back to him, still angry at him.

R- "Jade..."

Rouge turned to Shadow, and took Axel from him, and placed him into bed.

R- " Sorry Shadz, I tried to talk to her."

Sh- "Jade?"

Jade still didn't speak, and flew up onto her bed, then slid under her covers.

J- "You said you loved me daddy, you lied..."

Sh- "No..."

Shadow sat on the edge of Jade's bed, as Rouge joined Sonic near the doorway.

Sh- "I'm doing this to protect you... I don't want to do this no matter how much you think I want to."

J- "Shut up..."

R- "Jade!"

Sh- "It's okay Rouge. Jade, staying angry at me will make it worse for you in the end if I don't return. Remember that."

J- "Don't care."

Sh- "You don't care do you? Tell me why you ran in here crying then. You do care, but you're just like your mother. You'll never show your true intentions."

Axel was waiting for Shadow to finish talking to Jade, and was looking to the door where his mother and uncle were standing.

Sh- "Jade, don't you ever say that again. I do love you. You will realise that in time."

Rouge was now leaving the room, and Sonic was soon to follow, which Axel noticed instantly.

So- "I'm gonna go home now you two, so take care will ya?"

Ax- "Bye uncky!"

So- "See ya little dude."

Shadow was now alone with the kids, and he had laid down beside Axel, telling him a story while Jade overheard it all. Rouge walked Sonic to the door, about to leave after saying his goodbyes.

R- "I'll probably next see you when that day comes huh?"

So- "Yeah... I just hope it isn't the last..."

Rouge gave him a tight hug, which he returned, but with a much softer grip.

R- "Take care, okay?"

So- "You too Rouge, unfortunately I'll have the burden of telling the guys about it... And then Amy."

R- "Good luck blue boy; don't say your final goodbyes just yet... Try not to tell them too much."

Sonic smiled, and opened the door, as a cold wind made it's way in through the gap in the door. Rouge saw him off down the drive, waving to him as he began his walk home, most likely thinking about what the worst outcome of their operation could be. She closed the door, and headed back to her family, in the room at the end of the hall. Rouge stood outside and looked in, witnessing Shadow turn off the small bedside lamp, and give a kiss to both of the kids as they drifted off to sleep. Shadow left the room and closed the door behind him, not speaking to Rouge as he returned to the living room.

R- "Shadow?"

Rouge followed him shortly after, and found him sitting on the couch with his head in his hands, crying.

R- "Hon... What's wrong?"

Sh- "I... I don't know how long I can face them, and talk to them like nothing bad is going to happen..."

R- "You don't know how this could turn out..."

Sh- "I could die! I... I could die... Their faces kill me inside when I think about it... Maria would hate me for this... Katie... She would say I'm being stupid."

R- "They would say you are brave, and they would realise how much you love your children."

Sh- "Why can't we just live peacefully? I don't want our kids to be brought up like this."

R- "Let's try to take this off of our minds for a while should we? Remember what I said earlier?"

Sh- "Which bit?"

R- "About intimacy Shadz..."

Sh- "I don't know..."

R- "Come on tiger... I thought you liked playing games with me, hmm?"

Sh- "I do, but I'm not sure I'm in the mood."

R- "Do it for me Shadz... Cheer up."

Shadow's short sob had ended, but his eyes still contained lingering tears, and as much as Rouge wanted to do the same thing, this time, she managed to refrain from releasing the waterworks.

R- "I'll be waiting..."

Rouge left Shadow in the living room, all alone, as he tried to pull himself together. Unlike the past, the beast within him, the pure darkness, was slowly being tamed, and used to his advantage whenever he needed that little boost of motivation or energy. The same motivation that he would need right now, up until the point where he confronts Mephiles.

"I'll tear him limb from limb as long as it means I can see my family for another day."


	6. Chapter 6 - Departures

New Horizons - Chapter 6

Three days later...

The preparations were complete, and Shadow was standing in his room, his head against the wall. The doctor had sent word, and had found the location of the emerald, and they were to meet at HQ as soon as they could. While Shadow was regretting every moment, Rouge was gearing up with her usual equipment, not taking it as roughly as he did. When they were ready, the plan was to take the kids to Blaze and Silver's, who were expecting them, but didn't know the truth about why they were staying. They had been told Shadow wanted to take a vacation, and needed somebody to look after the kids for a day or two.

R- "You ready hon?"

Rouge stepped out of the bathroom, finding Shadow in a state.

Sh- "Yeah..."

Sonic was alerted too, who hadn't told anybody about what was to happen, despite his previous intentions. The kids knew that today was possibly the last time they would see Shadow, and were in a similar state to how he was, not as energetic as usual.

R- "Let's just get this done with, before the kids realise something is up."

Shadow backed away from the door as Rouge opened it and walked out to round up the children. Shadow remained behind, and sat down on the bed, rubbing the covers as he took in details that he hadn't even noticed before.

R- "Kids?"

The twins were both sitting on the edge of Axel's bed looking down at their shoes, as this wasn't their most looked forward to of days.

R- "It's time to go now, you're coming to see your father off."

J- "I don't want to..."

Ax- "Yeah..."

Rouge approached them and crouched down between the two, as she put a hand behind both of their heads, and pulled them in so that they were all touching.

R- "I don't want to either, but we need to stay positive around him okay? Otherwise, he'll see nothing worth fighting for. Remember, you two are the reason he's managed to be who he is today."

Rouge stood back up, and the children slipped off, following their mother out of the room. They walked through the hallway and looked into the master bedroom, where Shadow was still sat, thinking about the past.

R- "Let's go hon..."

Sh- "Wait... Just a second..."

Rouge walked in while the kids stood at the door, as the sun crept in through the curtains behind him, the sun slowly rising. Their room was almost completely dark, just how Shadow liked it.

Sh- "This is how they felt, isn't it?"

R- "Who dear?"

Shadow lowered his voice, making sure the kids didn't hear, as Jade's hearing wasn't as sharp as her mother's yet.

Sh- "Katie, and Maria... They knew that they were going to die..."

Rouge put a hand on his shoulder as he stood up, and they walked to the front door together with the kids in front of them.

R- "You really think he's going to be that strong don't you?"

Sh- "The being of an unstable half god is not my usual foe."

Rouge locked the door and dropped the keys into one of her many pouches, before continuing with a long walk to the beach, trying to spend as much time as they could with the children, and just as importantly, each other.

Ax- "I believe in you daddy..."

Sh- "That makes one of us Axel. Unfortunately, I don't feel the same way."

Ax- "But you're the Ultra Light Form!"

R- "It's Ultimate Life-Form dear, but ultimate might not be enough in comparison to a deity."

Sh- "Jade?"

Jade hadn't said a word after a few minutes walking, her emotions getting the better of her.

R- "Jade sweetie?"

J- "Yes mama?"

R- "Your father wants you."

Jade turned her head back around and focused on her path.

Sh- "You still hate me don't you?"

J- "Yes."

Sh- "That's fine Jade. Would you still hate me if I came back?"

J- "Yes."

Sh- "Then why doesn't Axel hate me? He's in the same position as you."

J- "He's stupid."

R- "Jade!"

Sh- "Stupid? Or does he realise that he would rather have a happy last memory, instead of a one filled with regret?"

Jade didn't reply.

Sh- "You may hate me. However, I will always love you, no matter what. Remember that and don't forget it. All of this is for you..."

J- "No it's not!"

Jade snapping back at her parents was a rare occurrence, as her wings snapped into a position ready for flight.

Sh- "You can't run away from your problems Jade. I've tried that too many times before, and the path ends right back at the start, with more regret every time."

J- "I can if I want."

Sh- "Then you're as stubborn as I used to be."

To say the least, Shadow wasn't pleased with Jade's behaviour, much favouring Axel's which was unusual, but Shadow was the exact same in the past. Very little was discussed on the way to the Golden Coast, as they unlocked the large wrought iron gates and proceeded down the path that was constructed into the face of the cliff. At the bottom, Shadow's second home stood, with the shutter-like blinds retracted, allowing the light from the rising sun to flood the rooms.

Sh- "You two need to behave yourselves, okay?"

The four approached the porch, and as they reached the end of the decking, Rouge stepped forward and knocked on the door, alerting the inhabitants of guests. The door opened, and Blaze stood there in a nightgown, still mostly asleep.

R- "Sorry... We didn't know what time we should bring them..."

B- "It's fine... Come on in..."

The kids walked ahead, and stood at Blaze's feet, then looked up to Shadow.

B- "Are you two not stopping for a bit?"

Sh- "It's best that we leave immediately."

Ax- "Daddy... Be careful..."

Sh- "I will Ax, don't worry yourself over nothing..."

Jade still didn't say anything, staying true to her word right to the end.

Sh- "Be good okay? Your mother will pick you up in a day or two..."

Ax- "And you too!"

Sh- "Maybe Axel."

Shadow turned around as he was at his limit of how much longer he could look at the kids, but while he was walking away, Rouge remained stood there, with a forced smile.

B- "You have an assignment today or something?"

R- "Sort of... Take care of my babies while I'm gone alright?"

B- "It's us I'm worried about, especially after seeing Axel take on Omega..."

R- "Well he's learnt his lesson, haven't you?"

Rouge looked down at Axel, who was exploring the room with his eyes, having slight memories of being here before.

B- "We'll call you if anything happens, but hopefully that shouldn't be the case."

R- "You're a good friend Blaze..."

Rouge jolted forward and hugged her, what with Shadow only taking his kids into consideration, forgetting all about his friends.

B- "Woah... Are you feeling alright? You seem a little impulsive."

R- "I'm fine, I'll catch ya later."

Rouge had now left the porch, and joined Shadow who was sitting on the steps just a few feet away from the door.

R- "It's hard, I know... But like you said, it's for them. We have to do this."

Shadow held out his hand as he stood up to match Rouge's height, not looking at her directly due to being ashamed of himself.

R- "Shadow... Please don't..."

He wasn't doing anything wrong, just staring out to sea, as the sun continued to rise and a tear could be seen forming within his eyes.

R- "Hon..."

Shadow turned his head around, and the tears were now dripping off of his chin as he tried his hardest to stop his lip from quivering. Rouge, just like Shadow, wasn't too easily defeated by her emotions, but if Shadow was upset, that triggered her instantly. Rouge ignored the hand he had held out and embraced him with a tight hug instead, as she put a hand on the back of his head and released her own tears.

R- "We'll see them again, I promise..."

Sh- "But... We..."

R- "We're going to pull through this... So please, stop your crying... Just remember what you're fighting for, we can do this."

That motivational speech from Rouge gave Shadow just what he needed, some reassurance, as he induced a Chaos Control which took them just outside of HQ. Shadow was still close to breaking down, but now wasn't the perfect time for him to lose focus, as his mission awaited him. Rouge still had her hand on the back of Shadow's head, and she opened her eyes, noticing their two other allies for this mission standing at the entrance with their backs to each other.

R- "They're waiting... Come on."

Rouge tried to push away from Shadow to join Sonic and the doctor, but he kept a tight grip on her, as he wasn't finished just yet.

R- "Shadow... Get yourself together..."

His eyes were still flooding, without any noise from a whimper, as his tears were now coming from a different source. Anger.

Sh- "I'm going to kill him..."

R- "We don't need to kill him Shadow; we might be able to contain him."

Sh- "I want to... He's the reason I've just parted with my children. Anybody who would dare do that to me will suffer."

Shadow released his hold on Rouge and wiped his tears away, as she backed away a step, and helped him dry his cheeks down.

R- "I'm not going to let you get hurt, those kids need you."

Rouge noticed Sonic approaching them from the entrance, followed by the doctor who kept his distance.

So- "You're not ready for this either are you..?"

Shadow lowered his head slightly, and smiled, followed by a sadistic laugh.

So- "Shadz..? Are you okay bud..?"

Sh- "Me..? Oh... I'm better than okay... I'll be even better when I'm finished with Mephiles..."

Dr- "My my Shadow... Your lust for blood sure has grown over the years hasn't it?"

So- "Shad, snap out of it, you're acting all psycho."

R- "Hon?"

Shadow took out his Chaos Emerald and rolled it around in his hand, waiting for the doctor to tell him where to go.

Sh- "Let's get on with this... Where is he?!"

Dr- "From here, about three days walk into the mountains."

Sh- "Can you be a bit more specific?"

Dr- "North for eleven kilometres, and then East for another three."

Sh- "That's better..."

The three of them had noticed Shadow's emerald starting to glow, and the flash of light that it emitted was almost blinding. Shadow was the only one to close his eyes prior to the flash since he was the only one to know of his intentions. He opened his eyes as the others were shielding their own, and he took in his surroundings quickly, aware as he would be in the most dangerous assignments. Their new location was a tall, dense, forest, which was barely lit due to the sun being so low, and not able to pass through the countless trees around them. Rouge dropped her arm and studied the area where they had arrived at.

R- "Where are we?"

Sh- "We're close, I know that."

Shadow looked down at his emerald, which was glowing without him actually doing anything this time.

Dr- "We should split up."

Sh- "Nice try, we're sticking together."

Dr- "If we don't find this emerald before Mephiles, it's all over. Rouge, would you accompany me and take flight to scan the area?"

Sh- "I don't think so, what did I tell you the other day?"

R- "He's right Shadz, we have to find the emerald, you two stay in touch."

Shadow nodded, as Rouge threw him an earpiece usually handed out before an assignment.

R- "You know the frequency, now get going."

He put his hand up to his ear and equipped the device, then turned his back to them and continued on solo.

So- "Hey, wait up!"

R- "Leave him, it's best he goes alone."

So- "What if he runs into who we're trying to hide from?"

R- "Then he'll be sorry he ever showed his sorry ass around here."

Rouge put her own earpiece in and threw a third one to Sonic. He equipped it and Rouge took flight, allowing Sonic to run off while the doctor followed Rouge's trail on foot.

*Tsst* Shadow? *Tsst*

Sh- "Yeah?"

R- "You're not going to keep any findings quiet are you?"

Sh- "That depends on what I find..."

R- "Don't keep me in the dark... The sooner we find something, the sooner I can get away from the doctor... I'm done with running his errands, we both are, right?"

Sh- "We aren't running his errands..."

So- "Am I on the right channel yet?"

R- "Unless you're trying to call up for a chilli dog, yeah."

So- "I hate G.U.N's equipment... Why can't they make it simple?"

Sh- "Because it's not meant for morons..."

So- "I'm not the one who got taken down by infants."

R- "Stop bickering you two, anything to report yet?"

Sh- "Negative."

So- "Trees, trees, and more trees..."

R- "Keep your eyes open, there's an area to the north that has a lower elevation, one of you go and check it out."

Sh- "On it..."

Shadow adjusted his course, and started to skate faster, until the forest ended, and he was stood at a fifty foot drop. He took a step closer to the edge, as rocks started to crumble beneath him. Looking down, he saw ruins, most likely from one of the ancient echidna clans. He moved his hand back up to his ear, and pressed a button on the microphone.

Sh- "Nothing but some ruins here, however, the emerald is glowing more frequently, so it's closer than before."

R- "Wait right there. Do not advance until we regroup okay?"

Sh- "They're ruins... This place is a graveyard."

A hand reached out and grabbed Shadow's shoulder, catching him off guard. He jumped forward as he spun around, and stepped off of the cliff. Shadow gripped the first thing that he touched, which was a root protruding from the face of the cliff. As he hung there, whatever had caught him off guard was now stood just above him. The figure got down onto it's knees and offered Shadow a hand.

So- "Easy... You okay bud?"

Sonic pulled Shadow up, but he instantly fell against a tree and caught his breath.

Sh- "You... I could have died..."

So- "I didn't expect you to jump! Why are you on edge?"

Sh- "I thought it was him... Mephiles..."

So- "Right..?"

Shadow held his chest, trying to ease the pain from the earlier scare. Rustling was heard behind them, and Sonic was instantly in a position to take down the intruder as it arrived. Out of the dense bushes emerged the doctor, who wasn't used to walking through rough terrain such as this. Rouge descended onto the ledge, and approached Sonic and Shadow, who looked like they were taking it easy.

R- "This isn't a time to just lay back Shadow..."

Sh- "Wha-? He..!"

R- "I don't care, get up..."

As always, Shadow was in the wrong, yet he never actually did anything wrong to begin with.

R- "So once we get down there, we'll stay in a group and scout the area for the emerald, okay?"

So- "Sounds good."

Rouge stood with her back to the others, looking out at the ruins, but with her eyes closed. After about half a minute without moving, she turned around and started to stare at Shadow.

R- "Well?!"

Sh- "What?"

R- "Take us down there!"

Sh- "Sorry... It's hard to understand what I'm meant to do when you say nothing at all."

The same flash of light as before, but this time they were ready, and didn't suffer the side effects afterwards. Rouge led the group forward, taking the leader's role by staying a good distance ahead of them. The doctor was intrigued by Shadow's changed personality since the time in which they used to be allies. He moved closer to Shadow, making sure he was the only one to hear what he had to say.

Dr- "It seems this 'relationship' of yours isn't the most stable is it?"

Sh- "Mine? Of course it is... Rouge is just like Topaz during assignments, straight to the point, and usually a little bit bitchy about it."

Walking a few feet in front of them, Sonic lifted a hand to his ear, and the other to his mouth.

So- "Erm... Shadow, you left your microphone on..."

Shadow looked up, and noticed immediately that Rouge had stopped in the middle of the path with her hands at her sides clenched into fists.

Sh- "Err... Rouge... I didn't mean that..."

R- "Bitchy?! This could be the last time we're together and you straight out say that I'm bitchy?!"

Sh- "You're not defending your case if I'm honest..."

Rouge picked up a stone from the ground, not large enough to be considered a rock, but it was still quite big, and threw it towards Shadow, narrowly missing him by an inch.

Sh- "Hey!"

R- "Screw Mephiles, if there's anyone that's gonna kill you it's going to be me!"

Rouge started to march towards Shadow, but Sonic took a step to his left and grabbed a hold of Rouge, stopping her from tearing Shadow limb from limb.

So- "Hey... Settle down Rougey... He didn't mean it... Did you?"

Sonic looked at Shadow, who was standing still, gazing off into the distance while removing his inhibitor rings.

So- "Shadz..?"

Sh- "It's time..."

R- "Time for what?! You want to throw down tough guy?"

Sh- "Not with you. Look. He's here."

In the direction Shadow was looking, a tall monument stood, and at the top of it, a faint red glow. Shadow warped up in an instant, and snatched the blood red Chaos Emerald from the plinth, while to the side of him, a black and purple puddle was moving, evolving...

R- "Shadow?!"

Shadow warped back down to the group, with two emeralds now in hand.

R- "We've got what we came for so let's go!"

Dr- "Shadow... Is it just me... Or do you have no shadow..?"

Shadow looked down, and the doctor was right, everything around him was lit up, despite the sun shining behind them. The group then looked up at the monument, and to the area where the dark puddle had taken it's form, stolen from Shadow's shadow. Mephiles stood there, looking at his form, inspecting the limitations of this body that he was now in control of.

So- "Is that him?"

Sh- "There's no doubt about it..."


	7. Chapter 7 - The first dance

Chapter 7 - The first dance

(A/N) - Hey everyone, been doing my exams and my last one is this Tuesday (Finally...) and haven't been able to get much writing done. What this means is, unfortunately, this is the last finished chapter, and the next is in progress while the rest are still just notes. It may take some time to get the next chapter finished, as I honestly haven't made any progress in over a month, and I'm not as motivated as I once was. I still plan to finish, but I just need some time =)

Mephiles stood on the towering monolith above them, looking down at his opponents, the ones who had just stole an emerald from him. He jumped from the very top of the monument to the very bottom, at a height that would have easily killed any normal person. He raised an arm, and pointed it at Shadow, to which he instantly pulled Rouge in behind him to shield her.

M- "You. Your name. What is it?"

Shadow didn't respond, but he kicked his inhibitor rings that were lying on the floor behind him with his heel, which Rouge picked up.

M- "Very well, how about the coward behind you? Who are you?"

Rouge, like Shadow, didn't answer his question, which built up some anger for Mephiles.

R- "Shadow... We have to leave... Now..."

M- "Shadow? You just called him Shadow, yes?"

Shadow nodded slowly, and if Mephiles could smile, now would be the time he would do so.

M- "Well... We meet again, how long has it been? Fifteen years? Sixteen?"

Sh- "Excuse me?"

M- "Your memory isn't very sharp; I'm surprised you don't remember me."

R- "Sha... Shadow?"

Sh- "I've never met you before, you're mistaken."

M- "Oh but you have... You are the one who sealed me in that infernal sceptre in the first place."

Sh- "You're wrong."

M- "Me? Wrong? Surely you jest. No, it was you. I remember it like it was only a few days ago, but what else would I have to remember? Being trapped in oblivion for over a decade does not provide one with valuable memories."

R- "Shadow... Get us out of here now..."

M- "Your friend looks scared Shadow. Is she scared?"

Sh- "That is none of your business."

M- "Be polite Shadow, you do know who you are talking to, don't you?"

Sh- "Mephiles the Dark; the twisted and sadistic being that originated from Solaris, yeah, I know who you are."

M- "Sadistic... Yes, I agree with you there. In fact, I can prove that to you if you wish."

Sh- "You've already proved that back at G.U.N HQ."

M- "Ah, the men who screamed at the slightest bit of pain, yes, I enjoyed that quite a lot."

Sh- "So it was you..."

Shadow turned his head to look at Rouge, who was shaking behind him.

Sh- "Step back and stay out of our way with the doctor. I'll handle this."

R- "No..."

Sh- "Do it!"

Shadow snapped his head back around, and summoned a Chaos Spear, then threw it towards Mephiles with ferocity. Mephiles lifted an arm up, and summoned some of his own energy, which absorbed the whole spear.

So- "What the... Where did it go?"

M- "I see that diplomatic reasoning is over. Now, let us see how well you dance..."

Shadow withdrew his pistol and started firing shot after shot into Mephiles' chest, and after he took each one, he took a step back.

M- "Shadow... How..."

Sh- "You're all talk Mephiles."

M- "How... Did you not know... That will not work against me?"

Each hole where a bullet had entered, started to push itself out, with all six bullets dropping to the floor, and each wound was now replaced by a crystal scar.

Sh- "What are you..?"

M- "I am beyond your capabilities Shadow."

Mephiles then slowly started to deteriorate, but every piece of him that disappeared returned as crystal.

M- "How are your reflexes, Shadow?"

With each swing of his arm, Mephiles threw large, sharp crystals at Shadow, but he avoided every one of them with either a sidestep or a jump.

Sh- "Better than your accuracy..."

M- "Check again."

Shadow looked down, but nothing was hit, and he couldn't feel any pain. He heard heavy breathing, and a moan, causing him to turn around. Rouge was sitting on the ground with a large crystal impaled into her thigh, which was bleeding heavily.

Sh- "Rouge..."

M- "Showing me your back is not the wisest move Shadow."

Mephiles took a knee and punched the ground, as crystals began to protrude from the ground in a straight line, rising up to about four times Shadow's height. The attack wasn't intended to hit him, but to separate him from the group, and wall him in. Shadow picked Rouge up and dived to the side before the crystals reached them, causing much more discomfort to head Rouge's way. Their landing had caused the crystal to pierce deeper, tearing more skin as it moved. She was now screaming in pain, and Shadow didn't know if it was best to stay and fight, or run and save her.

Sh- "Rouge, you're going to be okay..."

R- "Please... Make it stop!"

While Shadow was more interested in his partner, Mephiles had started to pace over to Shadow, ready to pressure the assault.

Sh- "I need to take him out while I have the chance Rouge... Trust me..."

R- "Shadow!"

In the corner of his eyes, Shadow noticed Mephiles, but it was too late. Shadow was about to use Chaos Control, but he received a punch which sent him flying into the crystal wall, landing badly on his ankle. While Shadow was lying there, Mephiles again began to head towards him, not finished warming up. Despite the pain Rouge was in, she grabbed Mephiles by the leg, trying to get him to stop his attack.

R- "Please..."

M- "Well, isn't this cute."

Mephiles tried to kick Rouge off, but she kept a tight grip on him.

M- "Well, I didn't want to waste any time, but you leave me no choice pathetic being."

Mephiles bent over and picked Rouge up by the neck, and her hands were now on his, trying to get him to release her.

M- "Do you see now Shadow? I am far beyond your level. And this... Weakling... Deserves nothing more than to be crushed."

Mephiles took his other hand and placed it just above Rouge's chest, as he ripped her necklace off. Shadow was regaining his vision, after hitting his head quite hard off the crystal wall, and noticed Rouge being held up by just one hand.

Sh- "Mephiles... Stop this!"

Mephiles took no notice of him, and in his free hand, he crushed the diamonds into dust, like they were made of clay. The diamonds were broken, and so was Shadow. Despite the necklace belonging to Rouge, it was his most important gift to her.

Sh- "Mephiles... Please..."

Mephiles heard him clearly this time, while Rouge was still gasping for air in his tight grip.

M- "Weak... All of you..."

Sh- "Let her go!"

Mephiles turned his head to Shadow, surprised he was still able to move.

M- "As you wish."

Mephiles dropped Rouge abruptly, and her landing was rough, falling onto her wings which was nearly enough to break them. She again screamed with pain and Shadow lay there helpless, as Mephiles approached him. His vision was already damaged, but he knew Mephiles was standing over him, judging his ability.

M- "We'll meet again, soon. You can keep your pathetic emerald. Once I acquire the next one, it is over for you anyway."

Mephiles landed a kick to Shadow's head which put him out cold. He then descended into the ground, and so did the crystal walls along with him, his battle now over. When the crystals had disappeared completely, Sonic noticed Shadow and Rouge both on the ground, and the screams that he heard were genuine, as Rouge was holding her leg in pain.

So- "Shadz!"

Dr- "He got away..."

.

.

.

Shadow started to awaken, his head was propped up against a tree, and his cheek was stinging heavily. He tried to touch it, but received a painful response, as the wound had swelled up, bruising over a large area. The night had approached, and the only light was coming from a small fire a short distance away.

So- "Hey... How are you feeling?"

Shadow looked up with one eye open, as the eye above his wounded cheek was also a victim of the kick from Mephiles that finished him off.

Sh- "Where is he? And where is Rouge?"

So- "Rouge is safe... But Mephiles has escaped. We'll have to wait until next time to get him."

Sh- "I'm sorry..."

So- "It wasn't your fault... Come on, Rouge could do with seeing you right now..."

Sonic offered a hand for Shadow to take, which he reached out for and took, but as he stood up, his ankle had almost snapped below him, which he landed on roughly in the earlier fight. He had lost his footing and fell down against the tree, now with a nearly broken ankle to worsen his condition. Shadow almost screamed as Rouge had earlier, but he gritted his teeth instead, and gave a loud groan.

So- "Sorry... I didn't know..."

Sh- "It's fine... I didn't either."

Shadow rested his hands against the tree and pushed himself up, hobbling on one foot to avoid further injury to the other. Sonic took one of his arms and put it around his shoulder, helping him on his way to Rouge, who was resting a small distance away, in a temporary camp near the blazing fire.

So- "There wasn't much we could do for her, as the crystal is in quite deep, and removing it would make her lose more blood than she can afford to lose. It looks like she landed quite heavily on her wings too, she won't be moving on her own anytime soon."

As they got closer, Shadow noticed Rouge lying in a similar position to how he was, but with her leg slightly elevated. Despite the pain, she had managed to fall asleep, and had a small cloth on her forehead to make her feel more comfortable.

Sh- "Help me down..."

Sonic was obliged to help, and let Shadow down onto the ground beside Rouge, who was starting to show signs of waking up.

So- "I'll give you two some time. I'll get your sleeping arrangements sorted out too."

Sonic walked away, and left the two injured partners to each other.

Sh- "Hey..."

R- "Shadow... It hurts so much..."

Rouge was already tearful, and Shadow didn't enjoy seeing her in this state one bit. Even if it might not work, Shadow had a plan to try to help her.

Sh- "I know... I can try to remove it if you want me to."

R- "Please..."

Sh- "Give me your hand... Hold it as tight as you need to, I'll try to do this as quickly as I can..."

Rouge managed to smile, and took Shadow's hand, as he reached down and gripped the crystal embedded deep in the flesh. He could tell that this was going to hurt her a lot, but the sooner he removes it the better. At first, Shadow tried to ease it out gently, but it wouldn't budge, so now brute force had to come into play. He pulled it much harder, and it ripped out, causing the wound to start bleeding again, and Rouge gripped his hand with such strength that he was surprised it hadn't broke yet. Shadow threw the crystal to one side, and squeezed the wound together, then sealed it from the heat of unmoulded raw Chaos energy that he had mustered. He looked to Rouge, who was wincing with the pain, but she had been through worse in the past, much worse. After the wound had been fully covered, he relaxed slightly, and pushed himself closer to where Rouge was lying.

Sh- "I'm sorry... I didn't want you to get involved in all of this."

R- "If I didn't, you'd be looking worse than you do now..."

Sh- "Haven't lost any of your humour I see."

R- "Why didn't you just listen to me and get us out of there?"

Sh- "I underestimated him... And now that I know his power, I don't want you anywhere near him."

R- "Hah! You got wrecked when you were by yourself, what will be different next time?"

Sh- "If I have to use it... I can try to over-concentrate my Chaos Energy, but it would probably take me along with him..."

R- "We've talked about this... Here."

Rouge reached down for something by her side, and raised her arm to show Shadow his inhibitor rings, which Sonic had given to her for safe keeping.

Sh- "Thank you."

Shadow reached out for them, but Rouge snatched her hand away.

R- "Not until you promise me that you won't use that energy as a last resort."

Sh- "That isn't something I can promise."

R- "Yes it is! I don't want you to give your life for this... This isn't your fight!"

Sh- "Then whose fight is it?!"

Shadow instantly regretted raising his voice at her, she was only looking at what was best for him, and the children.

Sh- "I'm sorry... But this thing... Mephiles... He's close to being invincible... You saw what happened with those bullets, and how he just absorbed my spear like it was nothing."

R- "We'll find a way... But until then, it isn't worth risking anything for his enjoyment."

Rouge handed him his inhibitor rings back, and gave him a light kiss on his bruised cheek, which would usually feel nice, but only more pain came from it, as he reached up to shield his wound.

R- "Shadow... I had a bad dream just earlier..."

Sh- "What about?"

R- "I can't tell if it was a dream though, or if it was what might happen in the future."

Sh- "Rouge, don't be absurd, just tell me what happened."

R- "It's about what Mephiles did to me, when he dropped me."

Rouge looked behind her, at her wings which seemed to be normal, but stung horribly.

R- "What if I can't fly again? What if I can't teach Jade what I had to learn by myself?"

Sh- "Rouge... You'll be okay... And like you say, Jade is clever, very clever. Even if you didn't teach her I think she'd learn very quickly."

Something clicked in Rouge's mind, and she quickly reached up to her neck, which was unusually bare.

R- "Where is it?!"

Sh- "He... He destroyed it..."

R- "But that..."

Sh- "Was one of the most important things to you, I know... I'll get you another."

R- "Why? Why did he do it?"

Sh- "Because what the doctor told us is true, he is pure destruction."

Sonic returned shortly after, carrying a bag over his shoulder that the doctor had brought in the event of having to stay overnight.

So- "Sorry Rouge... It's not the same as Shadow's queen size, but here."

Sonic dropped the bag down, and pulled out two sleeping bags, before throwing them for Shadow to catch.

R- "Thank you..."

Sonic noticed the crystal lying just before his feet, then looked a little further ahead, noticing Rouge's leg had been attended to.

So- "You need anything else?"

R- "I haven't eaten since this morning..."

So- "More bad news then, we don't have any food."

Sh- "Why did you come along exactly?"

So- "I'd have helped if I could..."

Sh- "If you actually tried, we might not have had to suffer."

R- "Shadow, it's not his fault."

So- "He's right, I didn't want to get involved."

Sh- "You're lucky I can't catch you right now or I'd kill you myself!"

The Faker turned his back to them and walked away before things escalated further. Shadow did the best he could to unroll the sleeping bags and set them flat, despite the pain he was feeling in his foot.

Sh- "Will you be okay in one of these?"

R- "I'll try it, but I doubt that I'm going to get a comfortable night's sleep anyway."

Sh- "I'll look after you, when we get home, I'll try to handle the kids on my own too, it's best that you get as much recovery time that you can get."

R- "Shadow... That's sweet, but I want to look after the kids too..."

Sh- "Hmm... Did you bring your phone?"

R- "Yeah, why?"

Sh- "I want to check up on them, and let them know we'll be returning tomorrow."

R- "Okay, it's in the small pouch, just above the pocket."

Shadow reached over and unfastened the button in the pouch that he thought was the correct one.

Sh- "This one?"

R- "Yeah..."

He reached into the pouch and took her phone out, as he moved back into his original position and flicked it open. The first thing he noticed was the background image, which was heart-warming to him.

Sh- "Their second birthday..."

R- "Yeah... They look so happy..."

Shadow gave a small smile, and started dialling the number that would hopefully let him speak to his children.

.

15 minutes earlier...

.

Si- "Please... Go to sleep..."

Ax- "Where is mummy?!"

Si- "I don't know, Axel... Please... Go to sleep..."

J- "Have you seen daddy?"

B- "No dear, but he'll speak to you soon. And I'm sure that he'll see you tomorrow."

Blaze tucked Jade in, while Axel was currently fighting Silver off, as he wanted to stay up.

Ax- "I hate you!"

Si- "Well I hate you too!"

B- "Silver!"

Si- "What? He started it."

B- "He's two! What do you expect?"

Blaze stood up and walked over to where Silver was trying to wrestle Axel into staying under his sheets. Blaze pushed Silver off, and Axel stopped struggling, knowing that he wasn't facing any resistance anymore.

B- "Axel... What would your mother say if you refused to go to sleep?"

Ax- "Dunno..."

B- "Well I know. She would probably bribe you into going to sleep, but mummy isn't here, and I'm not like that. Silver and I need rest so you are going to sleep whether you want to or not."

Ax- "But I can't sleep!"

B- "You can't say that if you haven't even tried..."

Blaze had managed to get him to settle down, and he was now much calmer than when Silver was trying to force him down. Blaze leant over and gave him a kiss on his forehead, before standing up with Silver and leaving the room.

Si- "Good night you two."

Silver flicked the light switch off, and followed Blaze up the spiral staircase and into the same room that Shadow would have usually slept in.

Si- "How do they cope..."

B- "They're their parents; it'll be much easier for them. To the twins, we're just strangers."

Si- "I am maybe, but they seem to like you."

B- "They're young. They don't know what goes on around them half of the time..."

The phone started to ring, which was odd, as neither of them knew who would have the number for this house, and who would want to call at this time.

B- "Answer it..."

Silver picked the phone up from the cradle, and listened to whoever was on the other end.

Sh- "Hello?"

Silver didn't answer, as he still didn't recognise the voice of the caller.

Sh- "I know you're there."

Si- "Shadow? Is that you?"

Sh- "No. It's the fucking plumber."

Si- "Well there's no need for that... What do you want?"

Sh- "I want to speak to my children if that is okay with you..."

Si- "Oh, good, that'll probably get them to shut up. They're constantly crying for you."

Blaze whispered to Silver, keeping her voice quiet so Shadow wouldn't hear her.

B- "What does he want?"

Silver put a hand over the microphone on the phone and whispered back to Blaze.

Si- "Speak to the kids, no idea why."

Silver removed his hand and resumed the conversation.

Sh- "Are you still there?"

Si- "Yeah, sorry, just talking to Blaze about something."

Sh- "Well that's great; can you put the kids on now?"

Si- "You'd think you didn't want to talk to us..."

Blaze took the phone from Silver, and started to walk out of the room, not wanting to waste any more of Shadow's time.

B- "Sorry about that, he doesn't know when to stop talking at times..."

Sh- "You're telling me... How've they been?"

B- "They've been good mainly, just a few tantrums earlier, and a bit of an argument with Silver."

Sh- "Let me guess, both Axel's doing?"

B- "Yep..."

Sh- "I don't know where he gets his behaviour from..."

Blaze opened the door to the room that the kids were sleeping in after descending the staircase, and peered in, seeing two little figures emerge from underneath their bed sheets.

J- "Mummy?"

B- "No Jade, it's just me..."

Blaze turned the light back on and sat down on Jade's bed, as Axel sat up to see what was happening.

B- "Somebody wants to speak to you..."

Blaze put the phone on speaker, and then put the phone down beside Jade.

J- "Who is it?"

Sh- "Jade?"

J- "Daddy!"

Sh- "Hey... How are you?"

J- "We miss you daddy..."

Sh- "I'll be home tomorrow, I promise."

Axel jumped over to Jade's bed, and Jade got out from underneath her sheets to join him.

Ax- "Where's mummy?"

Sh- "Your mother is here, two seconds."

Shadow held the phone next to Rouge, so she didn't have to move too much to talk to them.

R- "Hey you two..."

Ax- "Where are you mummy?"

R- "I'm with your father of course, I hope you two are behaving for Blaze and Silver."

B- "They've behaved acceptably, but they're refusing to get some sleep. They really miss you two."

R- "I'm sorry kids; I'm missing you both too. Like your father said, we'll be there tomorrow, and you can come back home."

J- "Is daddy okay?"

B- "Why wouldn't he be? They're just on a mini vacation..."

R- "He's fine... But kids, listen to Blaze, she's in charge of you while we're away okay? And I'm sure she'll tell me about anything that you've done that you weren't supposed to. I'll give the phone back to your father now, good night!"

Ax & J- "Night mummy!"

Shadow retracted his arm, and put the phone back to his ear.

Sh- "I'll keep it short, I think your mother and I should probably get some sleep while we can, so I'm gonna have to say good night too..."

Ax & J- "Night daddy."

Sh- "I'll see you tomorrow..."

B- "See kids, they're fine, will you go to sleep now?"

Sh- "And one last thing... We love you, and we're proud of you for being brave without us being around."

Shadow put the phone back into Rouge's pouch, and put his head into his hands.

R- "Shh... It's okay Shadow..."

Sh- "I don't want to leave them again... I know how it feels, we both do... To be alone."

Rouge pulled Shadow closer to her, before he got too upset.

Sh- "Look at me... I couldn't even protect you, what chance do I have against Mephiles?"

R- "We aren't in any state to be visiting him again anytime soon. And the kids, they aren't alone. Blaze could look after them single-handedly, but she has Silver to reduce the burden. Our kids will never be alone..."

Rouge let go of Shadow, who was obviously tired, otherwise he wouldn't usually be this emotional about things. He slid into his sleeping bag beside Rouge, and tried to get himself comfortable on the small pillow.

R- "However... I don't think Blaze will agree to take care of them if she knew what we were really doing..."

Sh- "That's one of the things I'm worried about..."

R- "Come to think of it... We probably shouldn't have left them with Blaze and Silver... We could be stressing their relationship."

Sh- "Rouge... I've told you about getting involved..."

R- "Maybe Amy next time..."

Sh- "There won't be a next time, not in your state, now good night, we need our sleep."

Rouge slowly slid into her own sleeping bag, which as predicted wasn't very comfortable, as her leg was still in pain.

R- "You'll probably sleep, night night..."

Sh- "I can stay up with you if you want me to."

R- "It's fine, I'll try to sleep."

Sh- "Okay..."

The parents had settled, and so did the kids, knowing that their father was okay, and also knowing when they would return, which stopped circling their little minds. Everyone was resting right now, except one individual, who won't rest until plans have succeeded.


	8. Chapter 8 - The homecoming welcome

Chapter 8 - The homecoming welcome.

(A/N - Sorry for the late update, been really busy with exams, finding a job, sorting out a holiday and preparing to move house to I barely have the time to write/upload anymore)

Shadow awoke the next morning, after he heard some rustling around him, and it was quite frequent. He opened his eyes, and to the side of him, was Sonic, placing a small bowl of water beside the two sleeping bags.

Sh- "What time is it..."

So- "About nine bud, have a nice sleep?"

Sh- "Considering all of the bad dreams, no..."

So- "How's your ankle?"

Shadow stretched his legs out, and tried moving his feet around.

Sh- "Should be able to walk... But it's not me I'm worried about..."

He looked over his shoulder, at Rouge, who was still asleep.

Sh- "She was saying she might not be able to fly again..."

So- "Jeez... That's a bummer..."

Sh- "I should have protected her, I was supposed to..."

So- "Don't blame yourself for what happened. I'm sure next time around you can get some revenge."

Sh- "Is that what you think I want? Revenge?"

So- "When we used to do assignments you usually would..."

Sh- "That was over two years ago, and nothing is the same anymore, since then..."

So- "You make it sound like having kids changed your life."

Sh- "It did."

So- "Well apart from recording no kills, and having kids, what else has changed?"

Sh- "Rouge..."

So- "She changed too?"

Sh- "No, I've spent much less time with her than before, I don't know why she's still here if I'm honest."

Rouge had her back to them, and opened an eye, to make sure what she was hearing wasn't all in her head.

So- "Why wouldn't she be? Did you hurt her?"

Sh- "Not physically, but most likely emotionally. I know that she was speaking to Topaz the other day, asking why she still wasn't married... Three years we've been together...

R- "And I don't regret any of those three years Shadow..."

Rouge stood up slowly, and walked away as quickly as she could, to find someplace quiet. She didn't even say good morning, nor look at them as she left, as she was incredibly hurt by what Shadow had just said.

So- "Erm... I think I should probably stay out of this one..."

Sh- "She just helped prove my point. She could walk away that easily."

So- "And you should follow her, you still love her right?"

Sh- "Of course."

So- "Well then..."

Sonic ushered with his hands, signalling for Shadow to get up and get a move on. Without request, Sonic helped him out of his temporary bed, and onto his feet, as he began to walk off on his own. Once Shadow was a fair distance away, Sonic started to roll up the sleeping bags and headed back to the heart of the camp where the fire had been extinguished. Shadow had made his way over to a small pool of water, and it was likely to be the same pool that Sonic had collected the water from that he gave to them earlier in the bowl. Rouge was sat with her back to him, partly submerged in the water, trying to clean her wound to prevent it from getting infected. She knew Shadow was behind her, but she didn't want to acknowledge him right now.

Sh- "Are you okay?"

R- "I'm fine."

Sh- "Then why did you storm off earlier?"

R- "Can you just leave me alone please? By the sounds of it, I've already wasted three years of your life."

Sh- "I did not say that, and you know that is not true. The last three years have been the most important years of my life."

R- "I don't care if you don't want to get married Shadow, that's your will and that's fine. I've stayed with you for a long time, but you still have things to learn about me..."

Sh- "Then tell me what I don't already know."

R- "Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of what most girls dreamt of at some point in their life. I dreamed of a big wedding, with someone who would make me forget about my past..."

Sh- "I und-"

R- "But you... You dragged me into your own past, and that is not where I want to be... I just want to live a nice life."

Shadow didn't bother saying anything else, just to get interrupted again.

R- "You have to learn that not everything has to go your way, for only your benefit..."

Sh- "What are you saying?"

R- "You know what..."

Rouge turned around with a sincere look about her, staring straight into Shadow's eyes.

R- "I only want whatever will improve our roles of being good role models to the children, okay?"

Shadow turned his head and searched his mind to try and understand what Rouge was telling him, but he didn't favour any of the possible outcomes.

"A good role model... Pfft, I shouldn't have to change who I am for anybody... That defies the concept of being an individual..."

R- "Are you listening to me?"

Shadow turned his head back around to look at Rouge, who wasn't even trying to make eye contact herself.

Sh- "Yes."

R- "Good, now leave me to myself for a while..."

Shadow obeyed, and then turned away and walked back to where his sleeping bag was, only to find out that it had been taken away. By now, the twins were also awake, and were harassing Blaze and Silver for some breakfast. After a fight almost broke out between Axel and Silver, Blaze had managed to settle them down with their early meal to start their day in the living room.

Ax- "I'm telling mummy on you!"

Si- "You can tell your 'mummy', I don't care."

Ax- "And daddy will hurt you."

J- "If daddy is okay..."

B- "Why wouldn't he be Jade?"

J- "Daddy is doing an assignment for work."

B- "Sweetie, HQ is closed; there aren't any assignments to do."

Ax- "Daddy said he has to stop a bad man, and he has went to find him."

J- "And he said he might not come back..."

B- "You what?!"

J- "Daddy is with uncle Sonic, and mummy should be here soon too."

Blaze remembered how Rouge looked as if she was about to take on an assignment, and how it felt like she was saying a final goodbye to them.

Ax- "Did mummy say where she is?"

Si- "She went shopping didn't she?"

Blaze looked around to Silver, who was finishing his breakfast off.

B- "Can I have a word with you, in private?"

Si- "What did I do?"

B- "It's not about you..."

The two stood up, leaving the twins at the table, who were looking around the room like usual. Blaze stood just outside of the room, waiting for Silver to catch up.

B- "You know what's happened, right?"

Si- "Erm... No?"

B- "We have been left with these children because their parents have decided to go out on a suicide mission!"

Si- "I'm not following..."

B- "Jade just said that Shadow is out tracking someone down, who is obviously dangerous if the kids are worried, yet Rouge was with him just last night! I knew something was up by the way she acted..."

Si- "So they've abandoned them here?"

B- "I hope not! It's enough to look after you full time..."

.

Shadow was sitting by himself, on a tree branch at a decent height, and out of sight of the others. It was almost time to return, once everything was packed up and accounted for, but despite saying he wanted to see the kids again, Shadow didn't want to return home. He felt like if he was to see the twins again, he wouldn't be able to return to confront Mephiles again.

"Shadz! We're leaving!"

Sonic was shouting around the vicinity of the camp, trying to get Shadow into coming out of hiding.

So- "We'll leave without you if we have to..."

"Pfft... Good luck..."

Shadow had both of the emeralds in his hands, which were glowing slightly due to the other's presence.

Dr- "What's the reason for staying away from everyone else this time?"

Shadow looked down, where the doctor was stood looking up at him with his hand covering his eyes from the sun, that was creeping through the leaves of the trees.

Dr- "Last time you were depressed about Maria... But I am probably right in assuming that this is for a different reason."

Sh- "Leave me alone..."

Dr- "Unless you want to be facing Mephiles alone, I would watch what you are saying."

Sh- "I don't want to face him at all."

Dr- "And why is that?"

Shadow didn't answer, but simply rested his head against the tree and closed his eyes.

Dr- "I see now, it's your family. They've become a weakness to you, haven't they?"

Sh- "I don't have any weaknesses."

Dr- "None that you want to admit, no, but Mephiles roughed you up pretty good didn't he?"

Sh- "This is not my fight. It's yours."

Dr- "Mine? I simply provided information about him. If nothing is done about this, then you can say goodbye to your children either way."

Shadow knew the doctor was right, even though he didn't want to admit it, but he was tired of it, the constant battling.

Dr- "Now... Get down from there and take us back... The sooner I return to a lab, the sooner I can track down the next emerald location."

Shadow shot a glare towards the doctor, a glare that was cold and unnerving, and more importantly, a warning.

Sh- "I'm not one of your pawns anymore, and you'll be wise to remember that."

Shadow dematerialized, and reappeared behind the doctor, as he began to walk back to the camp where Sonic and Rouge were waiting. As he returned to the small, more open area, Sonic was pacing back and forth, impatient as always. Rouge however was sat on a collapsed log with her legs crossed while looking through her phone. Against the log that Rouge was sitting on, was the doctor's large travelling rucksack, which was now full again and they were ready to leave. Sonic noticed Shadow approaching, and grinded to a halt, now that the wait was over.

So- "Where've you been? We've been waiting ages."

Shadow looked over to Rouge, who gave nothing more than a quick glance.

Sh- "Had to clear my head..."

So- "Couldn't you do that later..? Look, never mind, you're here now..."

The doctor had followed Shadow's path, and approached the log where his bag was, and where Rouge was starting to stand up from.

So- "If we're all ready to go..."

The three of them looked to Shadow, who was holding both of the emeralds in his hands which were hanging limply. He closed his eyes, and the flash engulfed them, reappearing just outside of the destroyed entrance to G.U.N HQ. Shadow threw the green emerald to the doctor, who was to use it to find the next location, and the red emerald was thrown to Sonic, who was to look after it as a precaution, as Mephiles may pay a visit to Shadow's home at any time.

Dr- "Like last time, I'll be in touch."

The doctor threw his bag over his shoulder and walked away, fulfilling his primary goal of at least getting to the emerald before Mephiles. Sonic however, gave the two injured fighters some sympathy.

So- "Listen, if either of you need anything, just call me. I can look after the twins for a bit if you need to visit the hospital."

Sh- "That's generous of you, but I'm not going to be leaving those kids any time soon."

Sonic turned and walked the opposite way to the doctor, leaving just two. Shadow looked around, and held out his hand for Rouge to take, but she instead just gripped his shoulder. In quick succession, he again transported them to another location, the bottom of the cliff leading to the Golden Sands. He saw his second home in the distance, and began to pace towards it, while Rouge took a much slower approach. He was only thinking of one thing right now, and that was telling the kids that he was okay. Thinking about himself had distracted him from the other potential victim, his partner. While Shadow was approaching the porch, he noticed that he couldn't hear Rouge's footsteps behind him. He turned around to see her hunched over, with a hand on her wound.

Sh- "Do you need some assistance?"

R- "I'm fine... It's just stinging..."

Sh- "You shouldn't be walking..."

R- "What else can I do? Fly?"

Shadow felt guilty about Rouge's condition, it was his fault after all, since she wouldn't have had to intervene if he wasn't so cocky. He walked back to Rouge, and took one of her arms, throwing it over his shoulder.

Sh- "You may not want my help, but you need it. Don't pressure your leg anymore; I'll try to lessen the pain when we get back home."

Shadow slowly began to walk back to the porch, while Rouge limped beside him. Once they had reached the porch, Rouge took her arm back from Shadow, and rested against the glossed wooden banister at the bottom of the stairs, not wanting to take the risk that would come from ascending them. Shadow carried on ahead, and knocked on the door. After a minute of fumbling with the locks, the door slowly opened, and both Jade and Axel ran out, both gripping onto one of Shadow's legs as they did.

Sh- "You would think the house is on fire, what with the speed you two came out."

Funnily enough, a pyrokinetic cat who had a short temper emerged from around the side of the door, and slapped Shadow viciously on his wounded cheek.

B- "Don't you dare tell us lies about where you are going next time, okay?!"

Shadow held the bruise, which now definitely felt like something was broken.

R- "Blaze... He..."

Blaze looked from Rouge to Shadow, also noticing the wound.

B- "Oh... I'm sorry..."

Sh- "Don't worry about it, I deserve worse..."

Blaze looked confused, but looked over at Rouge, who was again hunched over holding her leg.

B- "Did you..?"

Sh- "Mephiles... But I put her in harm's way..."

The kids had let go of Shadow, and ran over to their mother, while slightly tearful. Rouge sat down on one of the steps, and Axel sat beside her, while Jade hovered at eye level. Shadow looked around, and could see that Rouge's enjoyment from seeing the kids was slowly fading away, and sadness was starting to appear; now that Jade was the only one who could actually fly right now.

Sh- "Jade, take a seat beside Axel..."

Silver also emerged from the house, finding Shadow's wounds quite the laugh.

Si- "Wow, how hard did she just hit you?"

Shadow took no notice of him, but instead watched Rouge tell Jade the bad news.

B- "Shadow? What's up?"

Sh- "Rouge... Her wings were damaged... She can't move them at all."

Jade's face changed, and her eyes began to gloss over, and start pouring tears. She ran past Axel and hugged Rouge, who was trying to keep calm.

B- "Can she recover?"

Sh- "I hope so..."

B- "This Mephiles guy, he's the real deal then?"

Sh- "Unfortunately, yes."

Blaze walked out of the house and over to the kids, and Jade was still in tears.

J- "You promised!"

R- "Jade... It's a much larger loss for me than it is for you, but I'm sorry..."

Jade felt as though her parents were trying to upset them on purpose now, with the first incident being Shadow possibly saying his final goodbye, and now Rouge telling her she is unable to fly. It hurt Shadow too, as he was feeling more guilty with every second that passed. Blaze sat beside Rouge and pulled Jade away from her, to give Rouge some space and some time to let them both settle down.

B- "Jade, it isn't your mother's fault..."

Silver stood at the door with Shadow, neither of them knowing what to say or do.

Si- "So what now?"

Sh- "I take her back, I try to get her comfortable, and I'll take her to the hospital tomorrow..."

Si- "You're taking the kids back too, right?"

Sh- "Yes... Do you have a problem with them..?"

Si- "No! Not at all! Although, Axel kept trying to get into fights with me."

Sh- "You aren't the only one, so don't feel targeted."

Blaze helped Rouge stand up, and escorted her slowly up the stairs, eventually rejoining Shadow and Silver.

B- "Shadow, she's quite tired, I think you should get her home and let her get some rest."

Rouge yawned, as both of the twins followed, and gripped on to one of Rouge's legs each.

B- "And these two will want something to eat no doubt."

Sh- "I'll do what I can..."

This time, Rouge held her hand out for Shadow, as she couldn't be bothered to be stroppy with him anymore. Shadow took it, and looked down at the kids, who both already had their eyes closed. He looked up again at Silver and Blaze, and nodded his head to them.

Sh- "See you another time."

Blaze waved as she stood in the doorway of the house, and Shadow had left silently. He unlocked the front door and let the twins run in, as Rouge was in no rush to be moving.

Sh- "Give me your arm..."

Rouge put an arm around Shadow's neck, and he picked her up, and then carried her inside and straight to the bedroom. With a little struggle, he managed to withdraw the covers, and set Rouge down gently.

Sh- "I'll do what I can for now, then I'll take you to the hospital tomorrow morning and see what they can do to help."

R- "O-Okay..."

Shadow left Rouge alone for a few moments and headed into the en-suite, opening the overhead cupboards on his arrival. He withdrew a roll of bandage, along with a few band-aids that were supplied by G.U.N to all field operatives. Shadow also took out a small, silver-foiled tray from the cupboard, and then closed it before he left for the bedroom. Rouge noticed the items that he was carrying and knew that he was trying to make amends for what happened, still blaming himself completely. Shadow placed the tray onto the bedside table closest to Rouge, while maintaining focus on Rouge's wound more than anything else.

Sh- "It's a morphine infused sedative. It will help to numb the pain and slowly ease your mind into a resting state."

R- "Why do you know so much about these things?"

Sh- "I have to know every detail about whatever I am dealing with, which is one of the main reasons that I stayed behind to observe Mephiles, and the same reason you are in this condition..."

Rouge reached over shakily to the table, and Shadow met her halfway as he picked the tray up and held it closer to her.

Sh- "Take two and no more than that. One alone will send your brain from Beta to Delta, which is why it is what they use on the field to take agents out of a shocked state."

Rouge removed two of the capsules and swallowed them before he could utter another word, eager to numb the pain as quick as she could.

Sh- "You enjoy making things more difficult for me don't you?"

Shadow peeled the band-aid off and firmly pressed it against the wound on Rouge's lower thigh, which still pained her as the drugs were yet to kick in. Shadow then moved on to the bandage, and unrolled the top layer multiple times until he had a length which was long enough to work with.

Sh- "Those capsules will take effect soon, so you will have to tell me when I'm applying too much pressure okay?"

R- "Yes..."

He began by holding the tip of the bandage slightly above the wound, and lifted the leg up slightly several times to wrap the bandage around. After a few cycles, he bit the bandage to tear it off, tucked it in beneath the materiel and then took a step back to admire his handiwork.

Sh- "All good?"

R- "It should be... Thanks."

Shadow reached over Rouge and pulled the sheets across to cover the whole bed.

Sh- "Call me if you need me. I'll take care of the kids and get them something to eat soon, and I'll be here by the time you wake up. Try not to walk unless you have to okay?"

Rouge nodded slowly with her eyes closed, as she was starting to get drowsy from the sedatives that she had taken. After a final glance behind him to see Rouge almost asleep, he left the room to go and find the kids who were most likely getting themselves into bother.

.

A few hours later, and Shadow had to cook for the kids all by himself, as Rouge was still resting. Both of the twins had been put to bed, and Shadow had collapsed on the couch, as he had been worn out from having to do everything on his own. Despite having no energy, he had to stay awake due to the chance that Rouge may need him during the night. A cup of coffee was held in one hand, his head in the other, as he began again to think about what Rouge was telling him that morning in the forest.

"What was she trying to get at? And how did she perceive that something that I don't even know about is going my way?"

The large TV was playing away to itself in the background, at a low volume since it was quite late. His cup had been empty for almost an hour now, after being lost in thought, trying to decrypt Rouge's message word for word. His thoughts however, were interrupted by a sound from outside of the living room, identifiable as the closing of a door. It was likely that the kids would be messing around, but whenever a noise was made, it was usually followed by giggling, or a much louder disruption. Whoever had made the noise had limped past the living room door and entered the kitchen, which caused Shadow to get up and investigate. Upon leaving the barely lit living room, he entered the even darker hallway, and then the pitch black kitchen, where the figure was stood at the other end of the room. As he flicked the light on, Rouge was stood with her back to Shadow, downing a glass of water from the tap.

Sh- "I thought I told you to tell me if you needed anything, you shouldn't be moving."

R- "I didn't want to wake the kids..."

Sh- "Your health is more important than their sleep, you should know that. Why aren't you asleep yourself?"

R- "Because I'm stressed Shadow. I can't sleep even if I tried, not with him out there..."

Shadow leaned against the doorframe, impressed that she was able to resist the tablets that she had taken earlier, but it wasn't something to be celebrated.

Sh- "Go back to bed, at least give your body a rest. I want you to heal up as fast as possible."

R- "You think I'm going to take him on agai- No, you want me to take him on again?!"

Sh- "Keep your voice down... I don't want you to ever see him again, nor do I, but if the worst happens, I want you to leave here, like we talked about..."

Shadow left the kitchen and returned to the living room, where he lay back down to give the television a minimal amount of his attention. His constant advice wouldn't help Rouge any, she's free to do as she pleases, but unnecessary movements won't help either. He wanted to get some sleep himself, just to shorten the amount of time between now and trying to get some assistance at the hospital in the morning. Shadow planned to sleep on the couch for the rest of the night to give Rouge as much space as she needed, but not everybody's intentions are the same. Rouge limped into the living room with a full glass of water and set it down on the table, as Shadow gave her an unfriendly glare.

Sh- "You're testing my patience..."

R- "Oh shut up, like you would sit around and vegetate if we swapped shoes."

Rouge sat beside Shadow slowly, and gently lowered herself in front of him to his level, where she had now marked her territory.

Sh- "You can't be comfortable like that."

R- "I can't feel a thing, so what does it matter?"

Shadow gave in and put his arm around her and pulled her closer, after turning the TV off with the remote on the table. He closed his eyes and kept a firm grip, knowing that his assistance wouldn't be needed from then on. On the brink of falling asleep, two words were uttered, which caused his ears to twitch slightly upon hearing them.

"Thank you..."


End file.
